The First Legion Series Book 1: The First Legion
by pegasusdmac
Summary: Written as the sequel to The Lost Hero. Percy loses his memory like Jason? Maybe... With a little twist. Round 6 Veritas/Phoenix Award Winner.
1. Chapter 1

**AN: This series begins after The Lost Hero and is an alternate universe of the remainder of the Heroes of Olympus series. The entirety of The First Legion Series was written prior to the release of Son of Neptune, Mark of Athena, and House of Hades. Several characters and the plot are not canon. Any similarities between this series and SoN, MoA, and HoH are coincidental. **

**This series is currently (but slowly) being edited for typos and other errors. Story content will remain unaltered.**

**Thanks for reading and reviewing. -dmac**

**Disclaimer: I do not own PJO or HO.**

Percy I

Percy's first thought was_ I'm in so much trouble._ It may have been because he'd awakened restrained to a cot by his wrists and ankles with some antique form of handcuffs. Then again, maybe it was the unfamiliar surroundings: the cloth tent he was in, the forest surrounding it, or the voices of several teenagers outside the tent, none of which he recognized. But what he was actually thinking he said aloud, "Annabeth is going to kill me."

Immediately, at the sound of his voice, two of the kids outside the tent stepped in. They were Percy's age, probably sixteen or seventeen. The girl was average height, but well built. Not like a body builder, but more like an Olympic swimmer. She had dark brown eyes and hair to match. Her hair was pulled back in a ponytail that was so long it went halfway down the armor on her back. Whoa, wait, armor? Percy blinked. Yep, armor, like battle armor that looked like it was a million years old. Breast and back plates, shin and arm plates, and the dude that entered the tent with her even had a metal helmet on. Not a bike helmet either, it was one of those helms you would see a gladiator wear back in ancient Rome. It even had a purple horse hair plume that matched his t-shirt. He was a tall guy and very muscular. He had armor on as well, and he had a sword strapped to his side. They looked like they'd just stepped out of a Renaissance Fair. Their attire made them look downright mean, and the scowls on their faces matched perfectly.

"Where am I?" Percy asked.

"We ask the questions," the girl said.

Percy struggled against the restraints, almost flipping the cot over, which wouldn't have been a bad fall considering it was only about a foot off the ground, but he would've face-planted in dirt and leaves, so he thought better of struggling anymore.

"Untie me," Percy demanded.

"You do not speak unless spoken to," the girl warned.

Percy began to struggle with his restraints again careful not to tip the cot. "Let me go!"

The tall dude drew his sword and put the point to Percy's throat. Percy stopped struggling.

"You'd be smart to listen to Gwendolyn," he smirked. "I'd hate to have to run you through before you've had the chance to explain yourself."

Somehow Percy doubted that. This guy would be tickled pink to kill him, but he sheathed his sword and stepped away to give Gwendolyn the floor.

"What is your name, stranger?" she asked.

Percy didn't say anything he just laid there in a kind of state of shock from having a sword at his throat.

"Answer her!" tall dude demanded, which shook Percy from his daze.

"Percy Jackson."

"How'd you get here, Percy Jackson?" she asked.

"I…I don't know. I just woke up here," Percy said.

"Do you know where you are?" she continued.

Percy looked around. He was in a small tent, maybe eight feet by eight feet, with a single cot (the cot he was strapped to). It wasn't like a camping tent. It was shaped like a cook tent. It was square with a triangular roof, all made of a single white sheet of cloth. The letter X was painted on one side in purple. The cloth was split on one end of the tent, and a piece was pulled back to make a doorway. Outside there were trees, lots of trees; it was a forest. There were other teenagers dressed in armor milling around outside, and more tents were dotted throughout the forest.

Percy looked up at her. "I'm going to take a guess and say this is not Central Park."

She looked over at the tall dude. "Bobby, get him up and bind his hands. We'll take him to Reyna."

Percy was escorted by Gwendolyn and Bobby to a different tent about fifty yards from the tent he was being held prisoner in. They got a lot of stares from the other teenagers, but no one said a word or even cracked a smile. Percy got the feeling this was a very serious and very disciplined bunch of crazies. Seriously, what were these kids doing out here in the woods? Percy hadn't seen the first adult yet. Unsupervised teenagers wielding real swords, axes, and other painful death weapons—come to think of it, it actually seemed kind of cool.

They stopped at the doorway of a tent that was larger than the last. It had a purple I painted on it, and two purple flags were flying on either side of the entrance. They must really like the color purple.

"Wait here," Gwendolyn said to Bobby before she walked into the tent.

Percy looked up at Bobby. He still had that scowl on his face.

"So, um, Bobby is it?" Percy began. "What is this place?"

"Training camp."

Percy looked around and with a raised eyebrow asked, "Training for what?"

"No more questions," Bobby said as Gwendolyn walked back outside.

"Reyna will see you now," she told Percy.

Percy, with his hands still bound behind his back, walked into the tent, but Gwendolyn and Bobby didn't follow. They stood outside the doorway like they were standing guard. Guard for what? Who knows?

The tent was about twelve feet by twelve feet, but had the same simple design as all the tents in the camp. It was scarcely furnished with only a wooden table with papers and maps scattered across the top, which made it seem more like an office desk. There were three chairs around the desk, only one of which was empty.

A girl occupied the chair behind the desk, and a guy was sitting in one of the two chairs on the other side. They both stood when Percy entered the room. The girl, Reyna presumably, was a little taller than average. She had shoulder length, wavy hair that was a sandy blond color. She had sparkling blue eyes, and if she ever smiled, (Percy got the feeling that was a rare treat) it would probably light up the whole world. She radiated like the sun. Even her armor seemed to shine brighter than anyone else's. Maybe she'd just polished it or something.

The guy was the complete opposite. He looked a little older than most of the kids there. He was probably eighteen or nineteen, so, of course, he was a little taller than most. The guy was buff, too. He was ripped like wrapping paper on Christmas morning. He had jet black hair, neatly trimmed military-style. His armor was black leather, unlike most who wore bronze armor. He cut Percy a grin and a wink that sent a chill up his spine. This guy was nothing but trouble.

"Percy Jackson," Reyna addressed him. "I'm Reyna, interim praetor of the First Legion, and this is my first lieutenant, Dakota. Have a seat."

They all three sat down, and Percy stared at Reyna blankly.

"Do you know why you're here at this camp, Percy?" she asked.

"I must have gotten lost or blacked out or something," Percy answered. "I have no idea how I got here or where here even is."

"What is the last thing you remember?"

"Um…I was getting on the subway. I was going across town to meet Annabeth. We both started winter break early, and we were going to catch a movie. Oh, she's going to be so mad that I was a no-show. Um, anyway, next thing I know, I'm here, chained to a cot."

Dakota cracked a smile like the thought of Percy chained to a cot amused him.

"How old are you Percy? Fifteen, sixteen?" she asked.

"Sixteen," Percy confirmed.

She looked at Dakota and shook her head. "Never so old. They are always just children."

Dakota looked Percy up and down and shrugged. "Could just be a lost mortal…got turned around on his paper route."

"Maybe," she said. "But the timing, it can't be coincidental."

"Sure it can," Dakota argued. "You don't think this puny little punk could have anything to Jason's disappearance. Jason would squash him like a bug."

"I can't believe his sudden appearance has_ nothing _to do with Jason's disappearance."

Percy stayed quiet while they talked as if he weren't even in the room. He sat there in a confused daze wondering who this Jason was, and why would they think he would have anything to do with his disappearance, and who was Dakota calling puny?

"Jackson!" Dakota yelled bringing Percy out of his daze. "Where is Jason?"

Percy blinked. "Who? I don't know a Jason."

"But you know where he is," Reyna scowled.

"No! I don't even know where I am!" Percy argued in frustration. "I don't know what you want from me! Just let me go!"

Percy stood up and Dakota pushed him right back down in his seat.

"Get your hands off me!" Percy yelled at him.

"You'd better watch your mouth, boy," Dakota warned.

"Stop," Reyna said. "Dakota, go prepare the tests."

"You're not seriously—," Dakota started, but Reyna interrupted him.

"Go," she ordered.

Dakota didn't look happy about it, but he balled his right fist and put it to his heart like a kind of salute to her, and Reyna did the same. Dakota cut Percy an annoyed look then walked out of the tent.

Percy turned his attention to Reyna and tried the sad puppy dog eyes. "Could you untie me, please?"

"I'm afraid not. Not until we know who you are." She bit her bottom lip and muttered, "Roman or Greek?"

"Um…American," he said.

She actually cracked an amused grin at that remark. Percy eyed Reyna, silently making a dare with her. If she wanted to know who he was, then by all means he was going to tell her.

"I'm Percy Jackson. I live in an apartment on the Upper East Side of Manhattan with my mother Sally and my step-father Paul. I'm a sophomore at Goode High School. I have friends: Thalia, Tyson, Rachel. My best friend is Grover Underwood. My girlfriend is Annabeth Chase. She goes to a boarding school in New York. She and I met four years ago on a field trip to the Metropolitan Museum of Art. I like to skateboard and play basketball. My favorite food is barbeque. My favorite color is blue. I have a dog, a Rottweiler. I'm not crazy about small spaces, and I'm a little ADHD, so could you _please_ get me out of these cuffs!"


	2. Chapter 2

Reyna II

Percy was escorted back to tent X by Gwendolyn and Bobby. They freed him from his restraints and gave him something to eat while keeping a close eye on him.

Meanwhile, Reyna called an emergency meeting with the senior officers of the legion.

"Is everyone here?" Reyna asked.

Nods went all around.

They were in the same tent that Percy had just left, tent I, headquarters. Everyone stood around the desk because there were only three chairs and six officers. Well, everyone stood except for Dakota who felt he was privileged enough to take a seat.

Reyna put her hands on her hips, "Kota, is our presence not worth your attention?"

Dakota stood slowly like it was the biggest inconvenience he'd had all day.

"Well, since everyone's here, this meeting is now in session," Reyna began.

"What's this all about? Does it have anything to do with Jason?" a girl looked hopefully at Reyna with her flickering auburn eyes.

"I think it might, Hazel," Reyna replied.

Dakota coughed.

"Though, Kota disagrees," Reyna continued. "This matter concerns our latest arrival, Percy Jackson."

Whispers filled the tent.

"His arrival at camp only a day after Jason's disappearance isn't coincidental or irrelevant. He's here for a reason, and we need to determine what that reason is."

"Is he a demigod?" a guy standing behind one of the chairs asked.

"We don't know yet, Alex" Reyna replied.

"Like it matters," Dakota cut in. "Even if he is a demigod, he's probably just a son of Vertumnus, or maybe a son of Cupid here to tell you to profess your love for Jason."

Reyna's face got red hot. She was about go for her dagger that was strapped to her thigh, but she took a deep breath and calmed herself.

"Kota, would you like to be dismissed from this meeting?" Reyna asked sternly.

He just looked at her without a word.

"I didn't think so. Shall we continue?" Reyna said scowling around the room at the grinning faces.

There were only five other faces in the tent. Dakota's looked like one hacked off four year olds at the moment. The petit, long, auburn-haired and auburn-eyed young girl, Hazel, was always cool, calm, and collected, and her expression always conveyed that sentiment; now was no exception. With one look, she was able to relieve the tension in the room and remind everyone what was important. Children of Vesta make the trivial just that. The gray-eyed boy, Alex, wore an expression that was more quizzical, like he had a million things going through his mind at once. He would randomly nod or shake his head like he was silently arguing with himself. He hated not having all the answers all the time. Jess, the girl standing next to Hazel, seemed very interested in this new arrival, Percy. There was frustration on her face due to all the interruptions, but she also had concern in her light brown eyes, concern for Percy, not for the legion. Marcus, with a mop of curly black hair on his head, was standing right at the doorway to ensure that when the meeting was adjourned he would be the first one out. He rolled his eyes and yawned like he had a million things he'd rather be doing than attending a meeting with a bunch of uptight legion officers.

"We need to discuss what to do with Percy Jackson," Reyna continued.

"Shouldn't we take him to Madam Lupa?" Hazel asked.

"He is undetermined," Jess said. "Lupa won't give him an audience until he's claimed or tested and determined."

"So, we test him," Alex nodded.

"Kota's already begun preparing the tests. If he isn't claimed by sunset, we'll begin the tests. Does everyone agree?" Reyna asked.

Everyone nodded in agreement.

"What if he's not a demigod?" Alex asked. "The tests will kill him."

"It'll just save us the trouble of having to kill him," Dakota shrugged. "He's seen camp. He already knows too much. He can't be allowed to leave. He's either a demigod or he's dead."

The room was silent.

Finally, Reyna broke the silence, "We will begin the physical tests tomorrow morning if he isn't claimed by then. Hazel, go to the armory and find some gear for Percy. Jess, explain to Percy that he'll possibly undergo physical tests tomorrow. Alex, prepare the _other_ test. Kota, finish the preparations. And Marcus, organize festivities in the event there's a positive outcome. Does everyone understand?"

Everyone nodded.

Reyna put her right fist to heart, and everyone else did the same.

"Dismissed," Reyna said.

As everyone began to file out, Reyna grabbed Jess' arm, "Can I talk to you?"

Jess nodded and stayed behind.

When everyone else was gone, they each sat down in a chair. Jess had a cute smirk on her face that never wavered; it covered the full spectrum of her emotions. She, like Dakota, preferred leather armor that she wore well. She had a slim build and sharp features.

She tucked a stray piece of her light brown hair behind her pointy little ear and asked, "What's up?"

"You're good with newcomers. Do you think you could talk to Percy? Try to get the truth out of him?" Reyna asked.

"You think he's hiding something?"

"He says he leads a mortal life; an ordinary, normal life." Reyna explained.

"But you are convinced he's a demigod." Jess said.

"Can't you sense it?"

Jess nodded, "It's very weak, but it's there. But how does a demigod survive to sixteen much less lead a normal life? It has never been heard of."

"That's why I think he's lying about where he came from," Reyna said.

"Well, where else could he have come from?" Jess asked.

"I'm going to tell you something you must never repeat, understand?" Reyna told Jess in a stern and almost threatening voice.

"I understand," Jess nodded.

"There are other demigods out there who battle the forces of evil and chaos just like we do," Reyna explained.

"I've never heard of this other legion," Jess said, slightly confused.

"They're not a Roman legion. They're Greek," Reyna continued.

"Greek? How is that possible?" Jess asked, now even more confused.

"We were all taught how the gods can be in more than one place at the same time, split consciousness, right? But what we weren't taught is that the gods have different aspects of their personality, as well, mainly Roman and Greek. That's why the gods sometimes go by their Greek name," Reyna explained.

"Because they're in their Greek aspect. Makes sense."

"The children of the gods in their Roman aspect are Roman demigods. Most end up here with us when they're young children and stay with the legion until adulthood. Children of the gods in their Greek aspect are Greek demigods, and most of them go to the Greek camp."

Jess raised an eyebrow, "You can't be serious. How could I have never heard of Greek demigods or a Greek training camp or not met any of them on missions or in battle?"

"Well, Jess, I think you're about to meet one."

"You think Percy is a Greek demigod and he's lying about it? Why lie?" Jess asked.

"Roman and Greek demigods were notorious for fighting each other rather than fighting for the cause," Reyna explained. "They had a civil war that nearly destroyed them both. After that, it was agreed that Roman and Greek demigods would be separated and never know of the others existence."

Jess blinked, "How do you know all this?"

"Madam Lupa told me long ago," Reyna said.

"Why did she tell you and no one else?" Jess asked feeling a little jealous.

"Because I'm a child of both worlds. I'm a daughter of Apollo, whose name and aspect are the same in both the Roman and the Greek world. I was brought to the Wolf House when I was six years old, and I was given a choice: live as a Roman or live as a Greek. I chose to live as a Roman."

"That's how you're so sure Percy's a demigod. You sense the godly presence better because of your Greek side," Jess guessed.

"That's right."

"Then shouldn't _you_ talk to him instead of me?" Jess asked.

"No," Reyna shook her head. "I'm too close to this. I need someone who's objective to handle this."

"Too close because of your Greekness or because of Jason?" Jess asked as politely as possible.

Reyna just stared at her.

Jess took a deep breath and said, "Okay, I'll be the messenger. It's what I do best."

Reyna stared into Jess' eyes and gave a stern warning, "This conversation never happened, Jess."

Jess stood and gave a salute to Reyna, "You can trust me."

Reyna stood and returned the salute, then nodded to dismiss Jess. Jess walked out of the tent.

Reyna slumped back down in her chair, "Trust…what was I thinking? She's is a daughter of Mercury."

Reyna bowed her head, sending up a silent prayer to the gods that Jess would keep her trap shut.


	3. Chapter 3

Reyna III

Reyna sat at her desk reading status reports, updates from scouting missions, and formal grievances (mostly against Dakota). She was trying to concentrate, but her mind kept wandering. The stress of it all was really starting to get to her. The camp was in distress, and it had been since the end of the summer. Over half of the legion had been lost in the battle at Mount Tam, including all three of her siblings; she was the only child of Apollo to survive. Jason was doing the best he could to get the legion back on its feet, but 40 soldiers isn't much to work with. There were new demigod children arriving at camp, sure, but 5 and 6 year-olds hardly help the situation. They were the next generation; this generation was crumbling, and now Jason was missing. He just disappeared from his tent two nights ago. The search parties haven't had any luck tracking his location, even Madam Lupa couldn't sense where he was. Lupa has always been the rock of the Roman legion. She acts as protector, council, disciplinarian, and trainer. She brings order to chaos, or at least she did. Ever since Mount Tam, she's been distant and depressed, which was understandable. She's a wolf, and she thinks of the demigods as her pups. She'd lost so many. Romans are a tough bunch, but the entire legion was suffering from different degrees of post-traumatic stress, and Lupa was no exception. She's barely left her cave since the battle, and she hasn't been to the Wolf House in months. Reyna, as Jason's first lieutenant, took over as praetor when Jason disappeared. The legion was her responsibility now. Her father once told her she would inherit the toughest duty during the weakest time; of course, his prediction had come to pass. Everyone was going to be looking to her for guidance, reassurance, and strength. She was doomed. And now she was dealing with this Percy Jackson situation that could very easily wreak havoc on the legion if not handled right. Reyna needed help; she needed Jason. He'd only been gone two days, but she already missed him fiercely. She missed his strength, his confidence, and his morale, but mostly she just missed his smile, the one thing that made all her troubles melt away.

_Snap out of it! _she thought. _You can do this. You do have help._

Yeah, right. Her first lieutenant, Dakota, had done nothing but stir up trouble for months. He used to be a charming, disciplined, well respected officer, but now he's a reckless, unruly, punk. His PTSD is severe. Being a son of Mars, he shouldered more than his share of the burden from the battle at Tam. He lost so many soldiers and almost lost his own life, but he never gave up, and he and Jason stood side-by-side and saved the world. But, it seems as though he's forgotten he's a hero, and all he thinks about is leading so many to their deaths. He may never be the same again, like a lot if the soldiers, including Alex. Alex drew up the battle plans for Mount Tam, but when his strategy failed and the casualties reflected that, he blamed himself. He lost all confidence in his wisdom and strategic abilities. He won't even organize a scouting mission now. Bobby and Gwen used to despise each other. They were always arguing about which of them was better: the fastest runner, the strongest swimmer, the highest jumper, that crazy children of Victoria competition crap, and now they're inseparable. They never argue anymore and are now probably the closest siblings at camp. Hazel and Marcus were two of the few soldiers who were not at the battle. They stayed behind to defend the camp. When so few soldiers came home, they were devastated and filled with guilt for not being there to help. Odds were at least one of them would've gotten killed if they had been there. Hazel has nightmares; she sees the faces of the soldiers lost in battle. Everything she held dear: friends, home, hearth, it'd been all but destroyed. She's been pivotal in getting camp back somewhere close to normal, though. Sometimes, it actually feels like home again. Jess has handled everything quite well, though it's probably because she's just thankful to be out of the infirmary, finally. She spent two solid months lying on a cot recovering from her injuries. She was the most severely injured of the survivors, and her full recovery was nothing short of a miracle, a gift from the gods.

Reyna was about to give up on the paper work when an explosion rocked the entire camp. She instinctively hit the ground to take cover.

Her first thought was _Kota, what have you done now?_

Then there was another explosion and another. It wasn't Dakota; the camp was under attack. She crawled over to the door of the tent. She could already smell the trees burning and hear the screams of her soldiers. She looked out and saw chaos. Soldiers were taking cover as flaming arrows flew through the trees and fireballs exploded all over camp. Soon, the entire camp would be in flames. She ran out of the tent, keeping low. She ducked behind an archery target for cover as she assessed the situation. The attack was coming from all directions, they were surrounded, but by whom? No enemy was charging into camp. She had already drawn her dagger, fully expecting an ambush, but the only army she saw was her own. Reyna stepped out from behind the target to get a better view. She saw Dakota running toward her, full steam ahead.

"Kota!" she yelled.

He never checked up; he just tackled her like he was sacking the quarterback, then a firebomb landed right where she'd been standing. Dakota was lying on top of her trying to catch his breath and move so she could catch her breath. He hit her with so much force it knocked the wind out of them both. She coughed and sat up. He got to his feet and helped her up.

"You okay?" he asked.

"Yeah," she coughed. "You saved my life. Thank you."

"Don't thank me yet, sweetheart," he looked up as flaming arrows zipped through the treetops. "We still got trouble."

He took off running to help the others, and Reyna called after him, "Hey, don't call me sweetheart!"

He turned to her and grinned, then went back to work.

"Percy," she said to herself. "The Greeks are here for him."

She was about to run for tent X when, suddenly, the attack stopped. There were no more flaming arrows flying, and no more firebombs exploding. The camp was silent except for the crackling of burning wood and the coughing of soldiers.

Alex and Hazel came running up to Reyna.

"What just happened?" Hazel asked catching her breath.

"We're under attack, or we were," Reyna replied.

The smoke was getting thick. It was getting hard to breathe and see through the camp. Tents were ablaze and half the forest was on fire.

"This wasn't an attack," Alex said. "It was a diversion."

"How do you know?" Hazel asked.

"Basic strategy," he replied.

"Percy!" Reyna gasped, and they all three took off toward tent X.

When they got there, the tent was on fire. They looked around and were surprised to see that Percy hadn't been taken. He was standing nearby with Bobby and Gwen, his expression was one of total shock and panic.

"Gwen!" Reyna yelled as she ran over to them. "Is everybody okay?"

Gwen and Bobby nodded, but Percy shook his head.

Bobby noticed Percy shaking his head, "He's fine, Reyna. Just a little shook up."

"Keep and eye on him, Bobby. I'm going to try to figure out what just happened," Reyna said.

"We've got to put the fires out before the entire forest burns down!" Gwen said, beginning to panic a little.

"Agreed," Reyna said. "Get buckets, go down to the creek to get water. Get everyone who can to help you."

"What about him?" Bobby asked, pointing at Percy.

"Give him a bucket and take him with you. He's here, so he might as well help."


	4. Chapter 4

Percy IV

Percy began to cough as the smoke got thicker, and his eyes burned and watered. He could barely see anything through the smoke, except for the flames, and there were a bunch of flames. These kids were out of their minds if they thought they could put out a forest fire with buckets of water. What they needed was a pumper truck.

"Percy," Bobby threw him a bucket, which Percy almost didn't catch. "Come on."

Percy followed Bobby as they made their way through the trees avoiding the flames and trying their best to see through the smoke. Percy could see silhouettes of kids running through the smoke, dousing flames with buckets of water. This would be the perfect time to make a break for it. Everyone was distracted and visibility was almost zero. Percy could easily slip away from Bobby in the chaos. Percy looked around trying to find a path to slip away unnoticed, but all he saw was frantic faces. A group of panicked children were being led away from the fires. There were little kids here? This was the first time Percy noticed that. Everyone was doing everything they could to put the fire out. Their home was burning. Their attempts to save it were futile, but they kept trying. Percy thought of Annabeth. What would she do? Of course, she would help, and what would she think if he didn't?

"Aghh, fine!" Percy said aloud.

Percy and Bobby made it to the creek. It was a small, shallow creek that flowed through the north side of the camp. It wasn't far from the heart of the camp, so everyone was able to refill their buckets quickly. Bobby stepped in up to his ankles and filled his bucket. He nodded to Percy to do the same, then Bobby ran into the chaos with his full bucket. Percy looked at the creek. The water was crystal clear and flowed fairly swiftly. Percy, with bucket in hand, waded into the creek like Bobby had done. Immediately, Percy got a surge of energy, and his vision got clearer; he could see everything through the smoke. His panic and distress flowed away with the current, and confidence built in his chest. Percy was feeling great, then he wasn't. A blinding light flashed in his eyes and searing pain went through his whole body. He dropped to his knees in the creek putting his hands on the creek bottom to keep from falling over. His eyes were closed tight and he winced in pain. There was a burning smell that was different from the smell of the forest burning. It was more like his clothes were burning, but they weren't. He felt like he'd been struck by lightning, or what he could only imagine it would feel like. He had the strangest sense of deja vue, too. A face flashed in his head, a girl's face; she was pointing a spear at him. She was yelling _you want some, Seaweed Brain? _Whoa, it was Thalia, but… Suddenly, her face disappeared from his mind, the pain stopped, and the power returned. Percy opened his eyes wide and threw his hands into the air. Somehow the water followed. The water in the creek rose up into the air; hundreds of gallons hovered above Percy's head. Everyone who could see what was happening dropped their buckets and stared in awe. Then Percy did it. He threw his arms forward towards the camp. The water followed the command and doused everything and everyone, putting out every last flame. Percy lowered his arms, and the creek's flow went back to normal. That's when Percy fell face first into the water.

Percy was only out for a few seconds. When he came to, he was being carried out of the creek by Bobby and Gwen. They sat him on the ground in front of a tree stump that he leaned his back against. Percy coughed a couple of times trying to catch his breath. Everyone started to gather around him. Everyone was soaking wet except for Percy who, even though he'd just been pulled out of the creek, was bone dry. Everyone was talking and whispering to each other. There were so many voices speaking at once that Percy couldn't make out what they were saying. Percy could see someone pushing through the crowd, making their way toward him. It was Reyna. She knelt beside him.

"Percy. Are you alright?" she asked.

"I think I'm going to vomit," he answered, and she backed away from him a little.

"Give him some air, people!" she yelled, and everyone began to back up, but not too far.

Percy rubbed his eyes and asked, "What just happened?"

Reyna raised an eyebrow, "You tell me."

"I… I'm not sure. I was going to fill up my bucket, then it was like I had the whole creek at my command. Did that really just happen? I mean, all that water, was it me that…"

"Yes, Percy," Reyna smiled. "You put out the fire; you saved the camp."

"Oh, okay," Percy nodded, still not really understanding what was going on.

"Can you stand?" Reyna asked him.

"I think so," Percy started to get up, and Reyna helped him.

Everyone at the camp was standing around now, about forty teenagers and maybe fifteen elementary school age kids. They were all still talking to each other, but when Reyna turned to face them they all went silent.

"Can I have everyone's attention?" she yelled. "This is Percy Jackson, Son of Neptune!"

The forest roared with cheers.

The next hour or so was a blur to Percy. Everyone wanted to meet him and thank him for saving the camp. He got handshakes (well, arm clasps as he learned was their tradition) and pats on the back. They would tell him _thanks, man _or _good job_. He got hugs from the little kids and kisses on the cheek from the giggling girls, which made him think about Annabeth and feel a little guilty.

Just about everyone had made their acquaintance, and Percy's brain was feeling like mush when a familiar guy came walking up with his arms crossed. It was Dakota. Percy tensed and looked at Reyna who was standing right beside him. She gave Percy a grin and a confident nod as to say _it'll be okay. _

Dakota stared at Percy for a second then looked at Reyna. She raised her eyebrows and said "Well, Kota, looks like I was right about Percy, huh?"

Percy gave her a quick glance wondering what she was talking about.

Dakota tilted his head a little and said to her, "I had a busted watch once, and it was right _twice_ a day."

Reyna rolled her eyes.

Dakota looked over at Percy with a straight face, "Jackson."

Percy took a deep breath. Dakota unfolded his arms and offered Percy his right arm. Percy hesitated for a second, then clasped Dakota's forearm.

Dakota nodded, "Welcome to the First Legion."


	5. Chapter 5

Dakota V

Reyna was preparing to visit Madam Lupa's cave to tell her about Percy and the attack on the camp. Dakota offered to show Percy around camp and explain what was happening to him, mostly to get out of clean-up duty, not out of the kindness of his heart.

"Reyna," Dakota said as she was about to head out. "Watch your back outside the borders. Whoever attacked us could still be out there."

She nodded. Lupa's cave wasn't within the borders of the camp. It was about half a mile past the eastern border.

"Kota, the mystical barriers…" she started.

"I'm on it," he assured her.

It was a lot colder outside the borders of the camp, so Reyna put a parka on over her armor and a black fleece beanie on her head. The parka was black with fleece lining, and it had the letters SPQR embroidered in gold on the left sleeve. She strapped a knapsack and a bow and quiver to her back then headed out.

"Percy," Dakota said. "I know you have a lot of questions, and I'll answer them, but right now I've got some work to do, so you'll just follow me around and observe how we do things, agreed?"

Percy nodded, and Dakota just stared at him expecting an answer.

Percy cleared his throat, "Agreed."

"Good. Follow me."

Dakota and Percy began walking through the camp, or what was left of it. Percy had put out the flames, but before he did, the fire caused a lot of damage, and now there was water damage, as well. The soldiers worked together to clean up the mess. They'd split themselves into groups, each having a specific duty, a divide and conquer approach. The largest group, about 20 soldiers and all of the young children, were working to clear the debris. A group of sons of Mercury and Mars were tearing down structures that were too damaged to repair. Two children of Vulcan and two children of Minerva stood around a makeshift workbench looking at building plans. One of the sons of Vulcan saw Dakota and came running over to him. It was Clint. He was a young soldier, only about thirteen. He had dark hair, dark eyes, and dark skin. He was average build and height for his age. He wore silver armor that was about as thin as a sheet of paper but as strong as a brick wall.

"Lieutenant, we need supplies, things we don't have here at camp," he told Dakota.

"Mystical?" Dakota asked.

"Honestly sir, I need to go to The Home Depot," Clint said.

"Seriously?" Dakota asked, trying not to crack up.

Clint didn't say anything; he just stared up at Dakota.

"Alright, get some cash from Hazel. You guys can take the truck. Just get what you need and get back."

"Yes, sir," Clint said as saluted Dakota, then ran off.

Dakota and Percy continued to walk through the camp assessing the damage. They walked up to a group of about ten soldiers, guys and girls, who were arming themselves. They approached a short guy with light brown hair cut in the same neat trim as Dakota's. He was thin but muscular and wore leather armor.

"Jared," Dakota put his hand on the guys shoulder.

Jared turned around and said, "There you are."

"Percy, this is my brother, Jared," Dakota introduced.

Percy clasped Jared's arm.

"You got your troops together?" Dakota asked Jared.

"Yes, sir," Jared replied.

"Good. I want a security detail around the perimeter of the camp. Two hour rotation and hourly status reports," Dakota ordered.

"Understood," Jared nodded.

"I also want a small scouting party with canines to circle the camp two clicks outside the borders. Four hours max, then get 'em back in," Dakota continued.

"Yes, sir," Jared said.

"Oh, and Jared, send a shadow to Lupa's cave. Reyna's on her way there, now."

Jared raised an eyebrow, "She won't like that."

"I don't care," Dakota shook his head. "She's never going to know about it anyway; that's why it's called a shadow. Just to be safe though, send the stealthiest soldier you've got."

Jared grinned, "You got it, boss."

Dakota and Percy continued through the camp until they made it to headquarters. They walked into the tent, which was only slightly singed, and Alex and Hazel were standing around the desk. They were looking at an unrolled scroll.

"Just who I was looking for," Dakota smirked. "Alex, you got my laundry done?"

Alex stiffened, but didn't say anything.

Dakota looked over to Hazel, "Clint find you?"

"He did," she nodded. "Come look at this, Dakota."

He looked at the scroll, "An incantation?"

"And sacrifice to Terminus to strengthen the mystical barriers," she explained.

Dakota squinted his eyes and read aloud, "_pullus et sus."_

"Chicken and pork?" Percy asked.

"Very good, Percy," Hazel smiled. "You know some Latin, except its pig, not pork."

"You think it'll work?" Dakota asked her.

Hazel shrugged her shoulders, "It's worth a shot."

"Okay, do it, and get some of those Comus and Bacchus kids to help you. You know how they like a party."

"It's a slaughter," Alex corrected.

Dakota rolled his eyes, "Same thing."

Hazel shook her head and smiled, "You're crazy, LT."

She rolled up the scroll and walked out of the headquarters tent.

"Well, since you didn't bring me any clean clothes, what did you bring me?" Dakota asked Alex.

"Damage reports, injury reports, and the budget summary," Alex grinned handing Dakota a stack of papers.

"Wise a-" Dakota started, but got interrupted by someone walking into the tent.

"Lieutenant, the equites request permission to move the horses to the unused southeast field until the stables can be repaired."

"Granted," Dakota said without even turning to face him.

"Anything else?" Alex asked Dakota.

"Just try to figure out who attacked the camp and why," Dakota told him.

"I'll start the investigation immediately," Alex looked at Percy with suspicion as left the tent.

"I really don't like that guy," Dakota said under his breath.

Dakota tossed the stack of reports onto the desk and sat down in the chair behind it, "Pull up a chair, Percy."

Percy pulled a chair up to the desk opposite of Dakota and sat down.

"Alright, questions, fire away," Dakota told Percy.

"Is that girl really going to slaughter a chicken and a pig?" Percy asked.

Dakota cracked up.

"Well," he coughed, trying to quit laughing. "Hazel probably won't be the one doing the actual slaughtering, but yes, they'll sacrifice a chicken and a pig to the god Terminus."

Percy nodded slowly then asked, "Am I a super hero or something? That thing… with the water…"

"In a manner of speaking, you are a super hero, we all are, though, some more super than heroic. Have you ever taken a world history class at school, Percy?"

"Yes."

"So you've learned about ancient Rome: their gods, traditions, armies, and heroes?" Dakota continued.

Percy nodded.

"Well, all that stuff you learned and thought you'd never use, its true, even the gods part. And you're right in the middle of it."

Percy still looked very confused, "I don't understand."

Dakota bit his bottom lip, "No, I suppose you don't. Okay, here's the deal, Percy. You're what the history books call a demigod, offspring of a god and a mortal human. From what we've seen of your abilities, we're convinced you're godly parent is Neptune, Roman god of the sea. Everyone at this camp is a demigod. My father is Mars, the god of war. Alex, the guy that just left, his mother is Minerva, goddess of wisdom and strategy. We're all here at this camp to train for battle and to be able to protect ourselves from the monsters that want to kill us. It's dangerous for demigods outside the borders of this camp. The mystical veil over the camp, which seems to be having a malfunction today, normally keeps danger out of the camp."

"How big is this camp?" Percy asked.

Dakota moved some papers around on the desk and pulled out a large map from the bottom of the heap. He spread it out on the desk.

"This is a map of camp," Dakota said, then pointed to a spot on the map. "We're here, on the northwest side. This is where we have personal quarters, a dining pavilion, commons areas, and headquarters. The educational facility is in the west central area. East of here is the training facility with an archery range, chariot track, and gladiator arena where we practice hand-to-hand combat. The equine stables are centrally located, and nearly the entire southern half is a vineyard."

"A vineyard?" Percy asked.

"This is northern California and grapes are in demand. We've got to make money somehow. We sell the grapes to wineries, and they pay well. Apparently those children of Bacchus and Ceres really know their stuff."

Percy shook his head, "So, let me get this straight, the Roman gods are real and my dad is one of them. I somehow arrived at this camp that grows grapes to make wine, to learn to defend myself against monsters?"

"Well, it sounds kind of ridiculous when you say it like that, but trust me, Percy, what I'm telling you is the truth and Reyna was right, you're here for a reason."

"Yeah, what did she mean when she said she was right about me? Does it have something to do with this Jason guy that I've never met?" Percy asked.

"Jason is the son of Jupiter, one of the big three gods. He's the only child of the big three this camp's had in decades. It's not a coincidence that a son of another of the big three showed up when he went missing. You may not know anything about Jason's disappearance, but that doesn't mean you're not connected to it somehow," Dakota explained.

"How could I have never known about any of this?" Percy asked.

"I guess, in you're case what you didn't know didn't hurt you. Being ignorant of who you really are allowed you to lead a normal life. It happens, it's extremely rare, but it does happen."

Percy put his hands on top of his head in frustration.

"I know it's a lot to process," Dakota sympathized.

"I just want to go home, go back to my normal life," Percy said sadly.

"I'm sorry Percy, but now that you know the truth, you're life will never be normal again," Dakota said. "You look exhausted."

"Yeah," Percy nodded.

Jared walked into the tent, "Excuse me, sir, but I have the first status report."

Dakota stood up and took the folder from Jared.

"Jared, take Percy to my quarters so he can get some sleep," Dakota looked at Percy. "Does that sound good?"

Percy smiled faintly, "Yes, it does."

"Get some rest; just don't touch my stuff," Dakota warned.

"No touching, got it," Percy agreed.

Percy and Jared began to walk out of the tent, and Dakota whispered to Jared, "Post a guard outside my quarters to keep an eye on him."

Jared nodded and escorted Percy to Dakota's quarters.

Dakota tossed the file onto the desk and sat back down in his chair. He leaned back and propped his feet up on the desk. Mud splattered off his black combat boots onto the desk, but he didn't care; it was Reyna's desk. He pulled an iPod from the side pocket of his black cargo pants. He stuck the earbuds in his ears and turned on some music. He was about to grab a file folder when he noticed a photograph on the desk that must've been somewhere under the map before he disturbed it. He leaned forward, picking it up, then leaned back again. He recognized the photo and smiled. It was a picture of him, Jason and Reyna at the beach taken two years ago. They all three got a two day leave from camp two summers ago and decided to spend it on the beach. They surfed and boogie boarded. They roasted marshmallows and camped right there on the beach, sleeping on a blanket under the stars, normal teen stuff. In the picture, they were standing on the beach with the Pacific sparkling behind them. Jason and Dakota were each wearing colorful boardshorts and baseball caps turned around backwards. Reyna was wearing a skimpy silver bikini, and she had her hair pulled back in a ponytail. She stood between the guys with an arm wrapped behind each of their backs. The guys had their arms up flexing their muscles. They were all sporting their Oakley's and smiles that couldn't possibly get any brighter. Dakota stared at the picture in envy of that guy he used to be.


	6. Chapter 6

Percy VI

Percy walked into Dakota's tent and was surprised at how normal it looked. Other than the animal skin rugs covering the floor and weapons and armor scattered about like dirty laundry, it looked like a typical college dorm room. There was a full size bed, a mini fridge, and a laptop sitting on a small desk in the corner. All Percy could really focus on though, was the bed. He was exhausted, and as soon as his head hit the pillow he was asleep, then the dream began.

Percy was standing at the edge of a small clearing that was surrounded by a forest on all sides except one, which was a rocky mountainside. Percy noticed a cave carved into the rocky façade. He could smell smoke and looked behind him to see the forest was burning off in the distance. He heard the sound of a wolf howling and turned his attention back to the cave. He could see three wolves. A silver wolf was standing at the cave entrance facing out toward the clearing, and two black wolves edged toward the cave, one flanked to the left the other to the right. They growled and snarled at the silver wolf. A slim man appeared from the forest, and Percy smelled him before he saw him. The smell was like rotting meat. The man had a greasy mop of salt and pepper hair under a white crown. He wore an animal fur robe that Percy could only guess was the source of the smell. His skin was almost white in color, and his eyes glowed red. He walked toward the cave entrance.

"Lupa," he said in a loud voice. "Bow to your Wolf King."

When he spoke he revealed his teeth that looked more like fangs.

"You are not my king," a woman's voice rang out, but there was no woman around.

"Ah, but there you're wrong. I'm the king of all wolves, including you," the man said, directing his words to the silver wolf; the woman's voice was the silver wolf speaking.

"I will challenge you and your pack of rabid dogs until you are all destroyed!" the she-wolf yelled.

"I would accept your challenge, but it seems I need you alive…for the time being. Once you lead me to the unlikely trio, and I deliver them to the Giant King you'll cease to be useful, and I'll simply kill you," he said with amusement.

"I will never help you!" she snarled.

"Perhaps not willingly, but we have ways of making you cooperate," he smirked, then snapped his fingers.

The black wolves attacked the silver wolf. Howls and cries filled the air as the silver wolf fought back, and the fight was vicious. Percy noticed the man pulling something out of his robe. It was a dart pistol like those used to tranquilize wild animals. He aimed it toward the silver wolf. Percy tried to cry out to warn her, but the words wouldn't come out. He tried to run to her, but he couldn't move. He stood there, helplessly, as the man fired, and the dart stuck into her neck. The she-wolf collapsed, instantly. The man walked over to her, picked her limp body up by the hind legs, and stuffed her in a burlap sack. He tied the sack shut and tossed it over his shoulder. He snapped his fingers again, and one of the black wolves walked into the cave. The other black wolf heeled at his side as he walked out of the clearing into the forest and disappeared. Percy blinked a couple of times, and then looked back towards the cave.

The scene had changed. He was in the same place, but he saw a wooden post sticking out of the ground in front of the cave entrance that wasn't there before. A girl was tied to the post by ropes around her waist. It was Annabeth. Percy began to panic. He tried to run to her and call to her, but again, he couldn't. She struggled against the ropes. She was looking at Percy, screaming his name. Tears were streaming down her face as she pleaded with him to cut her free.

"Please, Percy!" she cried.

Percy's heart pounded as he stood there powerless to help her. He was almost in tears himself when he was overcome with a strange sense of deja vue, just like he'd had at the creek. He closed his eyes tight for a second and when he opened them, Annabeth was gone. Instead, there was a girl walking through the clearing toward the cave. She was wearing a black parka and her sandy blond hair stuck out the back of her black beanie; it was Reyna.

Reyna was almost to the cave entrance when she called, "Madam Lupa."

There was a growl within the cave.

"Madam Lupa?" she repeated in a worried tone.

Red eyes glowed in the darkness of the cave. Reyna cautiously started to back away, slowly reaching for her dagger that was strapped to her thigh. The eyes got brighter until a black wolf was visibly standing at the cave entrance snarling at Reyna. The wolf crouched low then leaped toward her.

"No!" Percy yelled as he woke, jumping so high he almost fell out of bed.

Percy raced out of the tent, almost tripping over a shield in his haste. Bobby grabbed Percy as soon as he made his exit.

"Whoa, slow you're roll there, Percy," Bobby said.

Bobby had been standing guard outside the tent.

"Dakota," Percy said breathing heavily. "Where is he?"

"Headquarters, I imagine," Bobby answered.

"I need to see him, right now!" Percy barked like it was an order.

They took off running towards headquarters. Percy could barely keep up with Bobby; that guy was fast. They both burst inside the headquarters tent.

"Dakota!" Percy said trying to catch his breath.

Dakota was sitting in the chair behind the desk and Hazel was sitting in a chair on the other side. They both stood up, immediately.

"What? What is it?" Dakota asked.

"It's Reyna. I saw her in a dream. She's in trouble," Percy said urgently.

Just then Jared burst into the tent.

"Lieutenant, the shadow I sent to follow Reyna is back. She was attacked and barely made it back to camp. I don't know about Reyna," Jared told Dakota.

The room was silent, but only for a second.

"Jared, get Percy some armor, a pack, and a jacket. Be at my quarters in three minutes," Dakota ordered.

"Yes, sir," Jared said and ran out of the tent.

"Bobby, Hazel, get your gear, get five horses, and meet me at the east gate, six minutes."

"Yes, sir," they said in unison and ran out of the tent.

"Percy, come with me," Dakota said, and they ran out of the tent towards Dakota's quarters.

They entered Dakota's quarters, and Percy watched as Dakota pulled a backpack out from under the bed. It bulged a little like it was already packed and ready to go. He picked a shield up off the floor and flipped it like he was flipping a coin, and magically it turned into a coin. He stuffed it into his pocket. He grabbed a six-foot long spear that was leaning against the mini fridge and pressed a button on it. It shrank into a pocket knife, and he stuffed it into his other pocket.

Jared walked in with an armful of gear.

"Here Percy, put this on," Jared said, handing the bundle to Percy. "I hope everything fits."

There was silver armor similar to Clint's, a navy blue parka, a loaded backpack, and a pair of combat boots. Percy put the armor on with some help from Jared. He put the boots on, which were a perfect fit, then put on the parka.

"Percy," Dakota said, getting his attention.

Percy looked over to him. Dakota had already put a silver and black parka on and had is backpack over his shoulder. He tossed Percy a small leather pouch.

"Your personal stuff," Dakota said.

"Huh?"

"The stuff you had on you when we found you," Dakota said.

"Oh," Percy said.

He stuffed the pouch into his pocket; there was no time to look through it now. Dakota handed Percy a black beanie, and he put it on his head. Dakota picked up a mean looking silver and black metal helm off the floor and tossed it into the air. As it came down into his hand it transformed into a silver and black knit beanie and a pair of silver rimmed aviator sunglasses.

"That's so cool," Percy said in awe.

"A gift from my dad. It can be any kind of headgear I want it to be," Dakota explained.

"Really?"

"Oh, I almost forgot," Dakota said, reaching for a sword that was leaning against the computer desk. "For you."

Dakota handed the sword to Percy. Percy hesitated, but took the sword.

"Thank you."

"That's everything. Let's go," Dakota said, and they raced out of the tent.

They ran through the camp, through the training facility, and arrived at the eastern gate at the border of the camp at the same time as Bobby and Hazel. Bobby was wearing a black parka and beanie, and Hazel wore a chocolate brown parka and beanie. They each rode up on a horse, and had three other horses and two dogs with them.

"Percy, do you ride?" Bobby asked.

"Like the wind," Percy smiled remembering the trips he and his mother would take to Montauk every summer. They would go horseback riding on the beach and Percy would always ride the same horse every year, a black stallion named Blackjack.

"Well, saddle up," Dakota said as he mounted a beautiful gray stallion.

Percy mounted an auburn colored stallion.

Dakota steered his horse toward the gate and shouted, "Let's ride!"


	7. Chapter 7

Reyna VII

Reyna stood near the entrance of a cave. She expected to see Lupa, instead she found herself face to face with a black wolf with glowing red eyes. The wolf growled and crouched down in attack mode. Reyna anticipated the wolf's leap toward her, and she rolled away. She was able to unsheathe her dagger and slice at the wolf. The wolf was quick, and her strike missed. Reyna moved quickly trying to stay in front of the beast. The wolf snarled, baring its fangs. It lunged towards her throat, but she hit the deck slicing upward with her dagger. She caught the wolf in its belly, but nothing happened. The blade passed through the wolf like it was a phantom. Reyna quickly got to her feet as the wolf made its turn toward her. She had just enough time to draw her bow and fire an arrow. She was a perfect shot, and the arrow she fired should've pierced the wolf between the eyes, but it passed straight through it. It was like fighting a ghost. Her weapons passed through the animal inflicting zero damage. The wolf kept coming at her. She ducked and rolled, she leaped and flipped, anything to avoid the wolf's attacks. Her weapons were useless, and she couldn't stay on the defensive forever. She needed to find a way to kill it, or at least outsmart it. She kicked the wolf away, but it kept coming back. She was tiring much faster than the wolf. She needed a plan. She looked at the forest, but she couldn't make a break for it, the wolf had the speed. She couldn't run into the cave, it was a dead end; she would just be trapped. The wolf knew her weapons were no use. It didn't have to defend itself. The wolf circled Reyna pushing her toward the mountainside. Reyna knew that within seconds her back would be against the wall, literally, and there would be no escape. The wolf let out a loud, deep howl. She knew that howl was the dinner bell, and more wolves would be there soon. Retreat was her only option. She had to make a break for it. She made a silent prayer to the gods, _just a little help_, then ran towards the wolf. It leaped at her, and she slid feet first on the ground under the attack. The wolf sailed over her head and hit the mountainside with a thump and a yelp. She quickly got to her feet and took off running as fast as she could across the clearing. The wolf was dazed, but she knew it would be in pursuit within seconds. She was almost across the clearing when she stopped dead in her tracks. Three more black wolves stepped out of the forest in front of her. She looked behind her to see the other wolf was closing in on her. There was no where to go. The wolves snarled and growled as they formed a circle around her. Suddenly, she started to feel the ground shaking beneath her feet, and she heard a rumble in the forest. It steadily got louder and louder. She heard dogs baying. The wolves' ears perked up, and they looked back towards the forest just as five horses burst out of the trees. The cavalry had arrived.

Two horses with riders flanked to the left. Two others with riders flanked to the right. The wolves turned their attention away from Reyna, and a white mare ran straight up the middle towards her. As it galloped past Reyna, she grabbed the saddle and pulled herself onto the horses' back. The wolves were startled but only for a second. They quickly regrouped and commenced their attack. One wolf leaped knocking a rider to the ground; it was Bobby. He drew his sword and sliced and diced at the wolf. Nothing happened; the wolf just kept coming at him. A dog pounced on the wolf, and it went for a roll. Another rider, Hazel, was shooting arrows at the wolves from horseback, but the arrows had no effect.

Reyna heard a voice yell out, "How do you kill these things?"

It was Dakota. He was on his horse galloping around the wolves and slashing at them with a six-foot long spear. The spear would just pass through them like they weren't even there.

Reyna heard Percy yell, "Where do we hit them to kill them?"

Reyna looked over to see Percy, sword in hand, maneuvering his horse like a barrel racer at a rodeo. He made quick turns and graceful leaps. He used his horse as a weapon kicking and side swiping wolves, knocking them to the ground, but they would just get right back up.

"Where?" Reyna said to herself. "No, were… werewolves." She steered her horse into the middle of the fight. "Silver!" she yelled. "They're werewolves. They can only be killed with a weapon of silver."

"Oh, that's just perfect!" Bobby yelled in frustration. "All our weapons are gold!"

"I got this!" Hazel said with a smile. She steered her horse to the left flank and dug something out of the cargo pocket of her pants. She pulled on the reigns, abruptly stopping her horse. She threw a quoit, a small silver disk with a hole in the center, Frisbee style, towards a wolf. The quoit hit the wolf in the neck piercing the skin and the wolf dissolved into a puddle of darkness. She took aim and threw again catching a wolf in mid air as it was leaping toward a dog. The wolf dissolved. She threw another hitting a wolf that was biting at the legs of Dakota's horse. Poof, it was gone.

"That's all I got!" she yelled, but it didn't matter. The last wolf was retreating into the forest.

"That was awesome!" Bobby yelled at Hazel. "Who taught you to throw like that?"

She dismounted her horse and smiled, "You did, of course."

"That's right," he said walking over to her and giving her a high five.

Reyna steered her horse over to Dakota and asked, "How'd you know?"

He looked over at Percy who had already dismounted his horse and was patting its neck and talking to it. "Percy saw it in a dream," Dakota told her.

Reyna and Dakota both dismounted their horses as Percy and his horse walked over to them.

Reyna rubbed her white mares face and said, "Thanks, Pearl."

"She says your welcome, and she's just glad you're okay," Percy said to Reyna.

Reyna raised an eyebrow, "The horse spoke to you?"

Percy nodded.

"Son of Neptune, of course he'd be the horse whisperer," Dakota said.

"Lupa," Reyna said like she was just remembering why she was there.

"She's gone," Percy sighed. "She was kidnapped."

"What?" Hazel said as she and Bobby walked up to them.

"I saw it in my dream. A man tranquilized her and took her away. He called himself the wolf king," Percy told them.

"Lycaon," Reyna said. "But why?"

"He said something about using her to find something, the unlikely trio, I think. What could that be?" Percy asked.

"I don't know. Was there anything else?" she asked Percy.

"Yeah, he said once he found the trio and delivered them to the giant king, he would kill Lupa."

"No," Hazel said with despair. "We have to find her."

"Hazel's right. We have to go after Lycaon," Dakota agreed.

"Lycaon moves fast, but a prisoner may slow him down. We need to head out now while the trail is still hot," Reyna said.

"Shouldn't we go back to camp and regroup?" Bobby asked.

"No time. We have to go now if we want to stay on his trail. Does anyone want to stay behind, go back to camp?" she asked.

No one said a word.

"Alright then, lets move out," Reyna ordered.

Everyone mounted their horse and Bobby whistled for the dogs. The two canines came running up to them.

"Find the wolf king," Bobby told the dogs.

They put their noses to the ground sniffing to find the scent. When they picked up the scent they took off running into the forest.

"That's the way he went," Percy said pointing to where the dogs entered the woods.

The dogs bayed and Bobby said, "They're on the trail."

Reyna grabbed her horse's reins, looked around at everyone, and said, "Let's go. Hyah!"

Pearl, with Reyna on her back, galloped into the woods and everyone followed.


	8. Chapter 8

Dakota VIII

They galloped through forests and pastures, hills and valleys, following the baying of the dogs. The terrain got thicker and steeper, so their gallop slowed to a trot, then a walk. They had traveled for hours, and it was getting dark, but they would have to ride through the night to stay on the trail. Bobby and Reyna rode in the front while Dakota, Percy, and Hazel brought up the rear. Everyone was pretty quiet, probably because they were all exhausted. Dakota saw Percy pull a leather pouch out of his pocket and open it. He pulled out a wristwatch. It had a white and silver clock face and a black leather strap.

"Nice watch," Dakota said breaking the silence.

"Yeah, my friend Tyson gave it to me for my birthday a few years ago," Percy said as he strapped it to his left wrist.

Percy pulled two twenty dollar bills from the pouch. "I was supposed to take Annabeth to a movie. Afterwards we were going out for burgers and shakes," Percy said staring at the money.

"You miss her, huh?" Dakota said sympathetically.

"Yes," Percy nodded sticking the money into his jacket pocket.

Dakota watched as Percy pulled the last two items out of the pouch: a silver tube-shaped dog whistle and a cheap ballpoint pen. He put them both in his blue jeans pocket.

"You have a dog, Percy?" Hazel asked.

"Yeah, she's a Rottweiler," Percy answered.

"What's her name?" Hazel continued, trying to make small talk.

"Mrs. O'Leary."

Dakota raised an eyebrow, "How on earth did you come up with that name?"

"I didn't, her previous owner did. She belonged to an old man who lived down the block from me. He was ill, and I walked her everyday for him. When he passed, she was orphaned. She was such a good dog, and I didn't want her to end up in a shelter, so I convinced my mom to let me keep her. I had to give our landlord every dime I made that summer for a pet deposit, but she was worth it."

"Sounds like your loyalties run deep, Percy. That's a prized virtue in Roman society,"

Dakota said.

Suddenly the horses stopped walking. The baying of the dogs had ceased.

"Wait here," Dakota told Percy and Hazel.

Dakota steered his horse up to Reyna and Bobby. "What is it?" Dakota asked them.

"The dogs lost the trail." Bobby answered.

Dakota looked at Reyna and asked, "What now, fearless leader?"

Reyna looked up as snow began to fall, "We find a place to camp for the night. We'll try to pick up the trail again tomorrow."

Everyone split up looking for a place out of the snow to set up camp. Dakota eased his horse over to a cliff side with an overhanging rock eve that made it almost look like a shallow cave.

"Found a spot." he yelled and everyone made their way over.

Hazel made a fire pit out of stones underneath the rock eve while everyone else gathered firewood. They placed the wood in the pit and Hazel touched her hand to the kindling. Suddenly, a fire roared to life.

"How'd she do that?" Percy asked Dakota.

"Her mother is goddess of the hearth. She can start a hearth fire anywhere. You don't even need matches with her around," Dakota answered looking over to Hazel and giving her a wink. "Come on Percy; let's go get the bedrolls off the horses."

Each saddle had a bedroll and sleeping bag rolled up and tied to it. Bobby fed the horses oats out of the saddle bags, and he fed the dogs beef jerky. Dakota and Percy got the bedrolls and gave one to everybody. Everyone sat, snuggled in their sleeping bags, around the warm fire. They sat quietly, eating granola and beef jerky The light of the fire made the snowfall look like glitter and made everyone's eyes that much heavier.

"Should someone keep watch? What if those wolves are out here?" Percy asked.

"Don't worry, the dogs are always alert and will wake us if we are in danger," Bobby reassured him.

"It's been a long day. Everyone get some rest," Reyna said.

Everyone lied down except Dakota, who sat there staring at the fire. Everyone had fallen asleep and Dakota was about to lie down when he heard Reyna's voice quietly say, "Thanks for coming after me, Kota."

"You would've done the same for me," he said without taking his eyes off the fire.

"Get some sleep," she said. "That's an order."

Dakota curled up in his sleeping bag, and he was asleep in seconds. Dakota's dream began with pain in his left forearm. He'd broken that arm five times in his tenure at camp. No amount of nectar, ambrosia, or mystical healing would restore it to prime condition. Dakota was standing on a wooden floor covered in sand inside an enormous stone amphitheatre. He knew the place even though he'd never actually been there before. It was the Colosseum in Rome, but it wasn't the ruins. He looked around in amazement. It was in pristine condition, the way it must have looked almost two thousand years ago. He'd always wondered what it would've been like to fight as a gladiator in the Colosseum, being adored by an audience of fifty thousand cheering Roman citizens. Dakota caught a glimpse of a man standing in the emperor's box. He looked closer and noticed the man had two faces; it was Janus, the god of beginnings, endings, doorways, and choices. Dakota put his right fist to his heart and bowed his head to the god.

"Child of Rome, I see your important journey has begun," the right face said.

"Are you prepared for the hard choices ahead of you?" the left face asked.

"Hard choices?" Dakota asked.

"Will you answer the call, boy?" the left face asked.

"Of course, he will," the right face argued.

"There will be many decisions weighing on your shoulders in the time to come. Even now you struggle with indecision and regret. Did you really make the right choice, Dakota? So many of your soldiers died in the battle. Your decision to lead them into such a hopeless battle..." the right face continued.

"It wasn't hopeless!" Dakota snapped. "We defeated the Titan Krios and saved the world. My soldiers didn't die in vein!"

"What about the other decision you made? We watched you close a doorway and we know you still struggle with that decision everyday, but your curse is entirely of your own making," the left face said.

"That's not true. I was told what would happen, and I made the right decision. I had to protect her," Dakota argued.

"So you say, but that decision was not entirely yours, now was it?"

"I made it mine," Dakota said sternly.

"Very good, Dakota. Most do not take such responsibility for their choices," the left face said.

"Because of your onus, we will give you some insight to better prepare you along your path," the right face said. "Your doorways include betrayal, alliance, love, and death. When you reach each doorway we trust you will make the right choice."

"Does this have anything to do with the great prophecy? You asked if I'll answer the call."

"Perhaps, but just remember, when one door closes another one opens and with every ending there's a new beginning… oh, and that curse you think you have, well, it may be time to revisit that doorway."

"Oh, and one more thing, kid. Find the bird with prophetic powers. He'll point you to the Wolf King. You are in his neighborhood, so he shouldn't be too hard to find," the left face said then the god snapped his fingers and disappeared.

Dakota woke to the sound of a woodpecker drilling a tree.

Dakota sat up like a shot. "Where's that bird?" he asked with urgency.

It was just breaking dawn, and Bobby and Percy were still asleep. Reyna was rolling up her bedroll and sleeping bag. She stopped and asked, "What?"

"That woodpecker, where is it?" Dakota got up trying to pinpoint where the sound was coming from.

Reyna rolled her eyes, "Just because it woke you up doesn't mean you have to kill it."

"I don't want to kill it. I want to talk to it," Dakota said, taking off into the forest following the sound.

"Yeah, because that makes _so _much more sense," Reyna said sarcastically, but she and Hazel followed him into the forest.

It had snowed several inches overnight. The forest floor and canopy were covered in a deep layer of bright white snow.

"There," Dakota pointed up into a towering sequoia. "There he is."

"The bird?" Reyna asked.

"No, I mean yes, but not just a bird; it's Picus."

"The woodland divinity?" Hazel asked. "But it's a bird."

"The sorceress, Circe, turned him into a woodpecker," Dakota explained.

"That's right. She was in love with him, but he rejected her, and she took her revenge by changing him into a woodpecker," Reyna remembered. "But why do you need to talk to him?"

"He has prophetic powers. Janus told me the bird would know where to find the wolf king."

"Janus? When did you talk to Janus?" Reyna asked.

"He came to me in a dream." Dakota said. He looked up to the treetop and yelled, "Picus."

The bird swooped down landing on the branch of a young tree. He was eye level with them and said, "You rang, demigod?"

Dakota bowed his head, "Picus, I'm Dakota, this is Reyna and Hazel." They both bowed their heads to the bird.

"Nice to meet you," the bird bobbed its head, then looked closely at Hazel. "And you, you're a pretty little thing."

Hazel blushed.

"Sir," Reyna said. "We're hoping you could tell us where to find the Wolf King."

"Why would you be looking for that dreadful character?" Picus asked.

"He has kidnapped Lupa," Hazel said.

"Ah, yes that's right."

Just then Percy and Bobby came running up to them.

"What's going on guys?" Bobby asked.

"More demigods," Picus said.

Bobby looked around, "Who said that?"

Dakota pointed to the bird and it said, "Hello."

Bobby stepped back then bowed his head. He swatted Percy's arm to get him to do the same.

"Because I love Lupa dearly, and you all are her pups, I'll help you locate Lycaon, but first, because I'm so nice, I'll give you each a hint to what you truly seek. Bobby, you need not worry about what you seek, you'll be reunited soon. Hazel, my love, Percy will lead you to what you seek."

Hazel looked over to Percy, and he shook his head like he had no idea what the bird was talking about.

"Percy, what you seek lies with the number 3.141. Reyna, the secret to what you seek lies with Lupa, and Dakota, I believe Janus told you to revisit a doorway; you should think about doing that."

Reyna shook her head, "None of that makes any sense."

"Maybe not right now, but it will. And now for the question at hand. To find Lupa you must go to the Colosseum."

"But the Colosseum is in Rome," Dakota said.

"The emperor knows where Lycaon is headed. He awaits your challenge in the oasis in the sand. Defeat him, and you'll find the location of the Wolf King."

"Could you be a little more vague?" Dakota grumbled.

The bird looked up at the trees, "These sequoias are among the oldest trees on the planet. Their roots run far and wide. If you ask nicely they might just take you where you need to go. That is all I can tell you. I hope it was helpful. Good luck on you journey, pups." The bird lifted off the branch and flew away.

Everyone was quiet for a few seconds.

"So, we're supposed to go to the Colosseum in Rome?" Bobby asked.

"I don't think that's what he meant. He said the emperor was in the oasis in the sand," Reyna said.

Dakota snapped his fingers, "I've got it. We have to go to the Colosseum… at Caesar's Palace."

"Vegas?" Hazel asked.

Dakota nodded with a grin, "Vegas."

"Vegas," Percy and Reyna said in unison.

"Vegas!" Bobby yelled in excitement.

The treetops suddenly began to shake violently. Everyone looked up just as tons of snow fell on top of them. Dakota rose up and spit snow out of his mouth, except it wasn't snow, it was sand. He looked at the horizon, and there it was… Las Vegas.

"Okay, what just happened?" Reyna asked brushing sand off her clothes.

"I don't know, and I don't think I want to know," Dakota said.

"Hey, look guys," Hazel said. "Our stuff made the trip."

Sure enough, there sat everyone's packs, bedrolls, and weapons. Everyone grabbed their stuff and strapped it on.

Dakota put his shades on and smiled, "Now remember guys, what happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas."


	9. Chapter 9

Dakota IX

The first thing they did when they made their way into the city was find a diner. They sat at a round table in the back corner of a little café. The television blared the 7 a.m. news_…storm system moving into the Rocky Mountains. Whiteout conditions expected in the Denver area by tomorrow…_

Everyone ordered a stack of pancakes and chocolate milk. They ate quietly, but the mood at the table was one of anticipation. Dakota noticed Percy looked a little pale, and he had barely touched his pancakes.

"You alright, Percy?" Dakota asked.

"Hmm…Oh, yeah, I'm fine," Percy answered.

"Are you sure? You look nervous," Hazel said.

"It's just…I don't know, something about this city. It's probably nothing," Percy said and went back to picking at his food.

"Well, I'm excited," Bobby grinned. "Craps and blackjack and…"

"Bobby," Reyna interrupted. "How old are you?"

"Seventeen, you know that."

"Do you really think they're going to let you gamble? You've got to be at least twenty one, remember? Besides we're here for one reason, and that's to defeat the emperor and find out where Lycaon is. Then we can get out of this detestable city," Reyna shuddered.

Dakota remembered that Reyna had a not-so-pleasant experience on a mission here a few years ago. They finished eating and Percy paid for their breakfast with the cash in his pocket. They walked down the strip looking for Caesars Palace. The strip was pretty quiet this early in the morning. The city that parties all night must sleep all day. Dakota noticed Percy had stopped walking and was staring at a hotel and casino down the block.

"What is it, Percy?" Dakota asked.

"Lotus Hotel…why does that sound so familiar?" Percy said.

Reyna walked over to him and pulled his arm to get him moving again, "Oh, no, stay away from that place. It's bad news."

"You've been there?" Percy asked.

"Once, never again," she answered.

"There it is," Dakota said pointing down the strip. "Caesars Palace."

When they made their way down to it, they stood on the sidewalk in awe of the place. It was a modern casino and hotel, but they felt like they'd just been thrown back into ancient Rome. The architecture consisted of archways, columns, and towering white stone facades. Statues of Roman deities dotted a landscape of sprawling gardens and sparkling fountains in an enormous courtyard. To the right, connected to the casino was a magnificent circular arena, the Colosseum. They made their way through the courtyards and arrived at a side entrance of the Colosseum.

"We sneak in?" Dakota asked Reyna.

"No sneaking to it," she said. "There's nobody around."

She opened the door, and they all walked in. They walked down an elegant hallway until they saw a sign that read FLOOR and an arrow pointing left.

"This way," Reyna said and turned down the hallway to the left.

They walked a few feet when Dakota saw a janitor's closet. "Let's stash our gear in here," he said opening the closet door.

They made sure they had all their weapons on their person, then tossed their jackets, bedrolls, and packs into the closet. They continued down the hallway several yards then emerged on the floor of an enormous arena. The floor was wood, but was covered in several inches of sand and dirt. It was roughly the size of four football fields. The rotunda towered a hundred feet above their heads, and across the arena, directly in front of them, was an elevated stage under an elegant proscenium arch. A man was standing on the stage. He was a young man, maybe early thirties, with short, wavy black hair under a golden crown of laurels. He was average height and well built. He wore stunning gold armor with a sword strapped to his side, and he held a golden helm with a short red plume under his left arm.

They walked to the center of the arena and stopped when the man held up his right hand.

"Are you my new gladiators?" the man asked loudly, his voice echoed throughout the Colosseum.

Reyna took a step forward, "We are children of Rome, officers of the First Legion. We serve _Senatus Populusque Romanus_."

"I too serve the Senate and People of Rome. I am Commodus, son of Marcus Aurelius, and emperor of Rome."

"Commodus?" Percy whispered to Dakota.

"Roman emperor in the late 100's AD. He was one of the most despised of all Roman emperors. The guy was cruel and sadistic, and he was merciless in the gladiator arena," Dakota explained.

"Commodus?" Reyna asked loudly. "But you were killed by the gladiator, Narcissus, almost two thousand years ago."

"This is true, but it seems I am back from the dead," Commodus said.

"But how?" Reyna asked.

"That's not important. All that matters now is I have my new arena, and I have my new gladiators," Commodus said happily.

"Tell us where Lycaon is!" Dakota yelled.

Commodus sat down on a throne at the center of the stage and said, "After the entertainment…that is, if you survive."

He held his hand up and snapped his fingers. All of the exits closed off. They were trapped. An enormous door below the elevated stage began to open. They could hear a rumble and the floor began to shake.

"What is that?" Reyna yelled over the rumble.

"What _is _that?" Dakota muttered to himself.

Suddenly, there was cheering all around them. They looked up to see that every seat in the Colosseum was filled, but not with people. They looked like ghosts.

"Manes!" Bobby yelled.

"What?" Percy asked.

"Spirits of the departed," Bobby answered. "I guess they're here for the show."

The rumble got louder and louder until it was almost deafening. A chariot carrying two riders, pulled by two black stallions, burst out of the open doorway. It circled the arena as an army of about a dozen gladiators marched into the arena. Two wooden columns began to rise out of the floor, one to the left-center and one to the right-center of the arena. An archer was perched on top of each column which was about ten feet up. The doorway began to shut, but not before a lone horseman came galloping out with his sword held high.

They stood in the center of the arena as the gladiators surrounded them. They formed a tight circle standing shoulder to shoulder facing out.

"Shields!" Dakota ordered.

Dakota flipped his coin turning it into a huge round shield. Reyna and Hazel touched their bracelets, transforming the charms into shining gold shields. Bobby touched a ring on his finger, and it sprang into a black metal shield. Percy touched his wristwatch and the rim spiraled outward into a polished bronze shield.

"Whoa!" Percy yelled in shock of what he just did.

"Dude!" Dakota said with surprise.

"I…I don't…how did…" Percy stuttered.

"No time to worry about it now," Dakota said.

"Game plan?" Hazel asked.

"Reyna, take out the archers. Percy, you take the horseman. Bobby, Hazel, the gladiators. I'll get the chariot. We break on my mark," Dakota ordered.

Dakota took off his beanie and tossed it into the air transforming it into a mean metal gladiator helm, then he put it on his head. They held their shields up and had their weapons in hand. They crouched and dug in their heels readying for a dash.

"Steady, steady," Dakota said.

"Begin!" Commodus yelled, and the gladiators charged.

"Go!" Dakota yelled, and they burst out of their circle.

Reyna ran behind Hazel with her shield up protecting them both from flying arrows. Hazel used her sword and shield attacking gladiators. Reyna used Hazel as a distraction to keep the gladiators occupied while she drew her bow, and fired an arrow at an archer. She hit him, and he turned into dust. She fired at the other archer, and he disappeared, too. Dakota was standing beside one of the columns waiting for the chariot to swing around. Reyna sprinted toward him, and right before she got to him, he dropped down to his knee and leaned over arching his back. She stepped on his back launching herself into the air, landing on top of the column platform. Dakota timed the passing chariot just right and leaped into the basket tossing out a rider at the same time. He pounded on the driver with his shield until the driver fell off, too. He took the reins and steered into the group of gladiators that Hazel and Bobby were fighting. Dakota used his shield as a weapon, pounding every gladiator that he passed to the ground. Percy twirled his sword in his hand as the man on horseback charged him. At the very last second, Percy sidestepped the horse, slicing upward with his sword, and knocking the rider to the ground. The rider quickly got to his feet, and Percy raised his shield just in time to block his strike. Percy pushed him away with his shield then went on the offensive slashing and thrusting his sword. Percy parried strikes and countered with his own until his sword finally caught a chink in the horseman's armor, and he burst into dust. Percy whistled and the horse came galloping over. He grabbed the saddle and pulled himself onto the horse in one sweeping motion. He steered the horse into the fight slashing his sword down at gladiators as he rode by them.

Dakota heard Commodus yell, "Release the lions!"

The doors under the stage opened again, and two huge lions leaped out. From the other side of the arena, Dakota saw Reyna swing around to fire her arrows at the lions, but it was too late. One had already leaped toward her. The lion hit her, knocking her to the ground. Still lying on her back, she drew her dagger and slashed at the beast. The lion was able to avoid her attacks and keep her on the ground. Dakota steered the chariot toward her at full speed. Dakota saw the shield of a gladiator that was about the size of a car hood lying in his path. The horses jumped it, but the chariot hit it like a ramp. Dakota used the force of the impact like a catapult, leaping out of the basket and flying through the air towards Reyna. Still in mid air, Dakota aimed his spear and threw it at the lion that was attacking Reyna, catching it in the neck, and turning it to dust. As soon as Dakota released his spear, he saw a shield flying toward his head like a Frisbee. He raised his left arm to deflect the impact. The shield caught Dakota in the left forearm, and he cried out in pain. He hit the ground hard on his side and rolled grabbing his left arm. He sat up and scooted himself back against the arena wall. Reyna ran over and knelt beside him. He took his helm off his head and dropped it on the ground.

"Are you okay?" she asked.

"Aghh!" he yelled holding his arm.

"Let me see," she said and touched his left arm.

"Aagghhh!" Dakota screamed, then cursed in Latin.

"It's broken…again," Reyna told him.

"Duck!" Dakota yelled.

Reyna rolled to the side, and Dakota kicked a charging gladiator in the chest. Reyna threw her dagger and hit the gladiator turning him to dust. Dakota looked around the arena. Bobby and Hazel were engaged in a swordfight with the only two remaining gladiators, and Percy, on horseback, was having a standoff with the lion. Percy steered the horse, at a full gallop, toward the lion. When he got close enough, he leaped off the horse toward the lion, clutching his sword in both hands. He landed on the beast, sword first, and the lion turned to dust beneath him. Bobby and Hazel had made quick work of the last two gladiators, then they all three ran over to Dakota and Reyna. They heard clapping from the stage.

"Very good," Commodus said clapping his hands.

"We won; now tell us where to find Lycaon!" Reyna yelled.

"Oh, but you haven't won yet, my dear," Commodus grinned evilly.

He jumped down off the stage into the arena, and walked toward them. "I like to get in on the action myself, sometimes," he said putting his helm on his head. "One on one and I choose my opponent. If you win I will tell you where to find Lycaon, if I win you all become my gladiators, forever."

They all looked at each other and nodded in agreement.

"Deal," Reyna said. "Choose your opponent."

"Very well," Commodus smiled. "I choose Percy Jackson."


	10. Chapter 10

Percy X

Percy was stunned to hear his name. He was in no way prepared to engage in a swordfight with a Roman emperor. He'd only been in one swordfight his whole life and that was with the horseman just a few minutes ago.

"Just keep your guard up and stay light on your feet; you'll do fine," Reyna tried to reassure him, but it didn't work. Percy was terrified. Everyone's fate rested on his shoulders, and all Percy could do was try not to get sick.

Dakota tossed his helm to Percy. "Put that on. It will protect you and give you strength and focus," Dakota said, breathing heavily from the pain he was in.

"Are you ready, boy?" Commodus asked Percy with an evil grin.

Percy put Dakota's helm on his head and felt a wave of confidence come over him. Percy drew his sword, the same sword Dakota had given him back at the camp. It was three feet of solid gold that felt well balanced in his hand, even though it was a little heavy.

"I'm ready," Percy said, walking toward Commodus.

Commodus drew his sword and yelled, "For Rome!"

Commodus swung his sword at Percy, and he blocked the strike with his sword, pushing Commodus back. He slashed again, but Percy dodged the attack. Percy counterattacked, and Commodus slammed Percy's blade with his own. He came at Percy again swiping at his head. Percy ducked and rolled coming up behind Commodus and kicking him in the back. Commodus stumbled, and Percy could hear Bobby whooping and hollering behind him. Commodus regained his balance and thrust his sword at Percy. Percy parried, and returned with a jab that Commodus sidestepped. Percy swung, and their blades clashed sending sparks flying. Percy continued to dodge, slash, and roll as Commodus came at him with everything he had.

"Percy," Commodus said, but it wasn't his voice.

Percy looked at Commodus closely, and his face was different. It looked like a familiar face, but Percy couldn't remember ever seeing it before. It was the face of a teenager. He had blue eyes, sharp features, and a white scar on his right cheek.

"Percy," he said again. "Remember the disarming technique."

Percy blocked an attack from Commodus, and the face of the teenager disappeared; it was just Commodus again.

Commodus lunged, and Percy thrust his sword at the same time. The blades slid along the flats of each other, and when Percy's blade hit the base of Commodus', Percy twisted his sword and thrust downward, knocking Commodus' blade to the ground. Percy kicked the sword aside, and in the same motion, came forward with the hilt of his sword hitting Commodus in the face, knocking him to the ground. Commodus lay on his back weaponless with the point of Percy's sword at his throat.

"Where is Lycaon?" Percy demanded.

"Pikes Peak," Commodus gasped for breath. "You'll find Lycaon at Pikes Peak."

Percy sheathed his sword.

Commodus rose up and asked, "You will not kill me?"

"Unlike you, I am merciful," Percy said.

Commodus got up and took off running behind the stage and disappeared. Percy took the helm off his head and dropped to his knees. Everyone ran over to him.

"Are you injured?" Reyna asked.

Percy shook his head and half-laughed, "Did you guys see that?"

Everyone smiled.

"Woo, yeah we did!" Bobby yelled in excitement. "You kicked his-"

"Bobby," Reyna interrupted. "We'll celebrate later. Right now, let's get the heck out of here."

They helped Percy up and ran out of the arena, stopping to get their gear as they left the Colosseum. They ran out onto the strip. They found a bench along the sidewalk a few blocks down and stopped to rest and regroup.

"What now?" Hazel asked.

"First, Kota's arm needs attention," Reyna said as she pulled a canteen out of her pack. "Drink," she told Dakota, handing him the canteen.

He took a couple swallows, and she handed him what looked like a piece of a Hershey's candy bar.

"Eat that," she ordered, and he obliged.

"Better?" she asked.

"A little," he winced, still obviously in pain.

"I can heal it, but not here," she said as she helped Dakota get his arm into a sling.

"You can do it once we get on the road," Dakota told her.

"Pikes Peak," Percy said.

"How are we going to get to Colorado?" Hazel asked.

"We'll drive," Dakota said.

"We'll rent a car," Reyna agreed. "You did bring the card, right Hazel?"

"Yes," Hazel nodded.

"Good, let's get moving."

They walked down the strip, and it wasn't long until they came to a rental car place. The sign outside read: MUST BE 18 OR OLDER TO RENT.

"I'll get the car," Dakota said.

"But you're hurt," Hazel said.

"Is anyone else here eighteen?" he snapped, but it was the pain talking. "Didn't think so."

"You can't drive hurt, Kota," Reyna reasoned.

"I'll just get the car and meet you guys a few blocks down, then someone else can drive."

Dakota took the sling off his arm and took another drink from the canteen. Hazel handed him a visa card.

"You have a credit card?" Percy asked.

"It's a business debit card," Hazel replied.

"Ah, the grapes," Percy remembered.

"Okay, four blocks," Reyna pointed in the direction they would be waiting.

Dakota nodded and walked into the rental place. Everyone else walked down four blocks and found a bench to rest on while they waited for Dakota.

"You did good back there," Reyna said to Percy.

"Good? It was awesome!" Bobby said with excitement. "Where'd you learn to fight like that?"

"I don't know. That's the first time I've ever done anything like that."

"No way," Bobby gasped.

"What about that shield of yours, Percy?" Reyna asked with suspicion in her voice.

"I don't know. I hit the watch on an impulse. I had no idea," Percy explained.

"Is anything else going on with you we should know about?" Reyna asked.

Percy hesitated, but thought he might as well tell them about the deja vue. Maybe they could help him figure out what it meant, "I've been having what I'd guess you would call deja vue. In the creek, I saw my friend Thalia's face, and in my dream I saw Annabeth. It was more like a memory than a vision, but what I was seeing never actually happened. And today… this city makes me edgy and the Lotus Hotel seems so familiar. Even when I was fighting Commodus, I saw the face and heard the voice of someone I think I might know, but I can't remember ever meeting. Does that make any sense to you?"

Reyna shook her head, "No, it doesn't."

"Don't worry, Percy. We'll figure it out," Hazel reassured him. "So, who's driving?" Hazel asked trying to change the subject.

Everyone looked at Reyna.

Reyna raised her eyebrows, "Don't look at me. The only thing I drive is a chariot."

"Ooh, I'll drive!" Bobby raised his hand with enthusiasm.

Reyna and Hazel looked over to Percy.

"Percy," Reyna said. "Do you have a driver's license?"

"I do, but I don't have it with me. It wasn't with my stuff."

"Well Bobby, it looks like your driving," Reyna sighed.

"Yes," Bobby pumped his fist.

They sat on the bench for a few more minutes when a cherry red Hummer H2 pulled up and parked in front of them. Dakota got out of the drivers seat and opened the back hatch with his good arm.

Hazel smiled, "Of course, the son of the god of war would get the Hummer."

Everyone threw their stuff into the cargo area.

"It was the only thing they had big enough for all of us," Dakota smirked and winked at Percy.

"Sure it was," Reyna grinned, closing the back hatch.

"Who's driving?" Dakota asked.

"I am," Bobby said.

Dakota looked at Reyna and raised an eyebrow. Reyna nodded.

"Okay," Dakota tossed Bobby the keys.

Everyone climbed in. Percy sat up front with Bobby. In the back, Reyna sat in the middle, Hazel on the left and Dakota on the right.

"Everyone, buckle up," Bobby said and took off driving east. "Percy, program the navigation system for Pikes Peak."

Percy did, then looked into the back seat. Reyna was turned to Dakota.

"Are you ready?" she asked him.

"As I'll ever be," he said.

Reyna closed her eyes and put both hands on Dakota's broken arm.

Dakota yelled at the top of his lungs, "Aagghhh! Aaaggghhhh!"

Reyna was breathing heavily and winced.

"Aagghhh!" Dakota continued, hardly able to catch his breath.

Dakota finally stopped yelling, and Reyna released his arm. They were both trying to catch their breath.

"What just happened back there?" Percy asked Bobby.

"Reyna's father is Apollo. Healing is one of his godly powers, and Reyna inherited some of that. She was able to set and mend Dakota's broken arm. It wipes her out, though. She'll have to sleep it off for a while," Bobby explained

Reyna, still breathing heavily asked, "How's it feel, Kota?"

He stretched his arm and flexed his wrist.

"Not broken anymore," he said still trying to catch his breath.

She leaned her head back against the seat, "Good."

"Thank you, Reyna," Dakota said.

She yawned and said, "Now we're even." She closed her eyes and fell asleep instantly.


	11. Chapter 11

Reyna XI

Reyna's dream began with her facing a white marble house. It had heavy stone columns in the front and polished bronze doors. There was a bronze number 1 over the door. Someone walked out of the door; it was Jason. Reyna called out to him, but he didn't answer; it was like he couldn't hear her. She wanted to run to him, but she couldn't move. A girl ran up to Jason, and started talking to him. Reyna couldn't make out what they were saying. The girl had brown hair cut very uneven with a few braids down the sides. She wore faded blue jeans and a snowboarding jacket. She was a very pretty girl, even though she looked like she tried not to be. She squeezed his hand, and Reyna began to get angry at the sight. Who did this chick think she was?

Reyna had a crush on Jason. They had always been close friends, but it felt like they had been getting closer since the end of the summer, since the battle. Reyna never told Jason how she was starting to feel about him, and now she regretted not telling him.

They continued to talk, and Reyna could start to make out a few words: memory, Roman, Greek. Reyna couldn't understand what it meant, but she knew it was important. When the girl finished talking to Jason, she kissed him on the cheek and walked away. Reyna was furious now and called the girl a few hateful names under her breath. Jason walked back into the marble house, and a wolf appeared where he had been standing. It was Lupa.

"Hello, my pup," Lupa said.

"Madam Lupa," Reyna said and bowed her head.

"We don't have much time, so I'll make this quick. This mission you are on to rescue me is only the beginning. I feel something big is about to happen, the great prophecy may be beginning. I fear you have a long, hard road ahead of you and sacrifices will have to be made. Find me Reyna, and I will take you to what you seek. Good hunting, my pup," Lupa said, and Reyna woke up.

Her head was resting on Dakota's shoulder. She looked up and noticed he was asleep. She looked around the Hummer, and no one else was in it. They were stopped at a gas station. Bobby was pumping gas, and Percy and Hazel were in the convenience store. Bobby hung up the pump and got back into the Hummer.

"Burrrr, it's cold out there," Bobby said.

"Where are we?" Reyna asked.

"Oh, you're awake. We're about two hours from Pikes Peak," Bobby said.

Dakota yawned and stretched his arms, "Are we there yet?"

"Two hours," Reyna told him.

Percy and Hazel were laughing as they walked back to the Hummer, each carrying a sack. They got in and Hazel said, "Snacks and drinks."

Reyna looked through a bag, "Junk food."

Bobby started the engine and drove back out onto the highway.

"Any Twinkies in there?" Dakota asked.

Percy tossed a pack of Twinkies over his shoulder into the back seat, and Dakota caught it.

"Sweet," Dakota said.

"Where's my Red Bull?" Bobby asked.

"Right here," Hazel said handing it up to him.

Reyna grabbed a bottle of apple juice and a pack of powered doughnuts. They ate their snacks and listened to some rock and roll on the radio. They were driving along a winding four lane blacktop in the heart of the Rocky Mountains. A light snow had begun to fall and Bobby turned on the wiper blades. They passed a sign that read: COLORADO SPRINGS 40 MILES. The snow fall began to get heavier and heavier, and the wind began to howl. It wasn't long until they were in blizzard conditions. Bobby had to slow down considerably. The road was getting slick, so Bobby pressed a button on the dash to engage the four-wheel drive. Visibility was almost zero even with the high beams on and the wipers at full blast. There was a bright flash of blue light ahead of them, then another and another. Bobby slowed almost to a crawl.

"What's that light? Can anybody tell?" Bobby asked.

"I can't see anything through all this snow," Percy said, squinting his eyes, looking out the windshield.

Suddenly, the snow in front of the Hummer began to swirl violently like a tornado.

"What the heck?" Bobby said and pressed the brake stopping completely.

The snowy tornado traveled up the highway sucking up the blowing snow and increasing their visibility. The snow tornado reached the flashing blue light then disappeared revealing a horse-shaped, dark storm cloud in the middle of the road. The horse-shaped cloud looked toward the Hummer, stomping its hooves on the pavement.

"What is it?" Percy asked.

"Whatever it is, it can't be good," Bobby said.

The horse cloud reared up and lightning crackled down its mane.

"It's Tempest!" Reyna yelled as it began to charge them.

Bobby threw the Hummer into reverse, and punched the accelerator. He put his right hand behind Percy's headrest, and had his left hand on the wheel. He looked behind him to see through the back window.

"Move your head, Reyna!" he yelled and she ducked.

Bobby flew down the highway in reverse. He glanced forward to see Tempest was bearing down on them. Steam blew from its nostrils, and lightning sparked down its back.

When Tempest was only inches from the hood of the Hummer, Bobby yelled, "Hang on!"

He jerked the wheel to the left, and the Hummer spun a 360. The girls screamed, and Tempest ran right past the Hummer just as it spun out of its path. Bobby threw it in drive and took off. Tempest turned in pursuit. Bobby had the accelerator on the floor. The speedometer ran up 60, 70, 80 miles per hour. Tempest was right on their bumper. The road made a curve to the right, and Bobby jerked the wheel sliding the Hummer into the curve using all four lanes.

"Wooo, hooo, hooo!" Bobby yelled while everyone else held on for dear life.

Tempest was now galloping along the right side the Hummer. It slammed its head into Percy's door sliding the Hummer across the highway. Bobby corrected then jerked the wheel toward Tempest slamming into it, slowing it down, but only for a second. The road made a curve to the left, and Bobby took it in a full sideways slide and coming out of the curve completely straight. Tempest had moved to the left side of the Hummer now. Its head was even with the driver's door. Bobby looked out the window to see Tempest about to slam its head into the door. Bobby hit the brake and Tempest flew to the right, in front of them, missing the Hummer by inches and flying off the right side of the highway. Bobby hit the gas again spinning the tires as he took off. Tempest emerged back on the highway behind them.

"Moon roof!" Bobby yelled.

Dakota looked at Reyna, "Get your bow."

Reyna unbuckled her seatbelt and grabbed her bow and quiver from the cargo area. Percy pressed the button to open the moon roof. Reyna stood on the center console and stuck her upper body out of the moon roof. She drew her bow and fired an arrow at Tempest. The arrow hit it, and it reared up in pain then kept right on coming after them. She fired several more arrows slowing Tempest down but not killing it. She ducked back into the Hummer.

"That didn't work," she said as she sat back down in her seat and buckled her seat belt.

Bobby was still driving about 80 miles per hour and sliding through curves. Tempest was still gaining on them. They could see the lights of a town a few miles ahead. If they could just make it there, maybe Tempest wouldn't follow them into a populated area. They were only about a mile from the town when Tempest caught up with them. Bobby looked in the rear view mirror to see its head was right at the back window, then it disappeared from view. Suddenly there was a loud THUD on the back bumper, and Hummer went spinning out of control. Bobby tried to correct the spin, but he was going too fast. The Hummer spun round and round and everyone screamed at the top of their lungs. The Hummer slid off the highway, down a ravine, and hit a huge pine tree head on causing the airbags to deploy. Everyone sat there dazed for a few seconds.

"Where'd it go?" Reyna yelled.

Everyone looked around, but Tempest was nowhere to be seen.

"I guess it thought it killed us," Dakota shrugged.

Suddenly, there was a voice inside the Hummer, "_This is Onstar. We've received an alert you've been in a crash. Do you need medical assistance?_"

"Um… no ma'am, we're fine, but could you send a wrecker to get the car?" Bobby said.

"_A tow truck will be there in an hour,"_ the voice said.

"Thank you."

Everyone climbed out of the Hummer. Everyone was sore, but no one was hurt.

Dakota looked at the beat up Hummer and said, "I'm sure glad I got the extra insurance."

Bobby started giggling then broke out into a laugh, "That was_ sooo _awesome! Can we do it again?"

"No!" everyone yelled at the same time.

"Let's grab our gear and head toward that town we saw up ahead. Maybe we can find someplace to stay out of this blizzard," Reyna said.

They walked into the little town and quickly spotted a small resort that had a ski shop and cabins for rent. They walked into lobby and up to the front desk, shaking the snow off their jackets.

The man behind the desk said, "Cold out there, huh?"

"Yes, sir," everyone said.

"What can I do for you this evening?" the man asked.

"We'd like to rent a cabin, please," Reyna told him.

"Well you're in luck; I've only got one left. How many nights?" he asked.

"Just one."

"You kids here on vacation?" the man asked while typing on his computer.

"Family reunion," Hazel grinned.

"Ah, needed to get away from crazy adults for a while. I understand that," He nodded. "Okay, I'm going to need a driver's license and a visa or master card."

Dakota handed the man his license and a visa. The man did the paperwork and Dakota signed.

"Cabin one, out the door and down to your left," the man handed Dakota the key.

"Thanks," Dakota said.

They walked up to a large two story log cabin with a bronze number 1 above the door. It had large wooden columns on the front porch that held up the second story balcony. It looked surprisingly similar to the marble house Reyna saw in her dream.

"I've got first dibs on the shower," Hazel called as they walked in the front door.

Everyone threw their gear down and made themselves at home. There was a huge living area and kitchen. Gas logs were burning in the fireplace making it nice and cozy. There were two bedrooms downstairs and two bedrooms upstairs, so someone would have to sleep on the sofa. Reyna walked upstairs and opened a sliding glass door. She walked out onto the balcony closing the door behind her. She folded her arms laying them on the balcony rail and leaned against it looking out into the blizzard. A few minutes passed then she heard the door slide open then shut. Dakota leaned against the balcony next to her. He just stood there for a moment looking out into the storm.

"Penny for your thoughts," he said, finally.

"What do you think about Percy?" she asked.

"I like the guy. Don't you?"

"I do, but…" she trailed off.

"You don't think he's who he says he is?"

"I think he thinks he is," she replied.

"But you think he's a Greek," he guessed.

"How'd you know about that?" she asked.

"Come on, Reyna. You told Jess. You know she can't keep her mouth shut about anything."

"I'm going to sew it shut when we get back. Who else did she tell?" she asked in frustration.

"Just me, and she won't be telling anyone else," he assured her.

"How can you be so sure?"

"I told her if we kept it between us, I'd take her to dinner and a movie," he smirked.

Reyna shook her head, "You're such a dog."

"What?" he shrugged his shoulders. "I had to do something. Besides, she is kind of cute."

Reyna tilted her head and raised an eyebrow.

"Yeah, she's not really my type. You know, you should've been the one to tell me."

Reyna nodded.

"So what's your theory?" he asked.

"His skill with a sword and that shield… he's been trained," she replied.

"I agree, but he says otherwise."

"He told me he's been having visions, like deja vue. It's like he's remembering things that never actually happened. I think someone has messed with his mind," she explained.

"Someone wants him to think he leads a normal, mortal life?"

"Or they want us to think he does. Think about it. If he knew he was Greek when he came to our camp… could you imagine?" she shook her head.

"Yeah, that probably wouldn't have been pretty, but why make him think he's a mortal? Why not just erase all of his memory?"

"That would've been way too suspicious. I wouldn't have been convinced, would you? We most likely wouldn't have been so nice to him," she reasoned.

"Yeah, we probably would've thrown him in the brig and left him there," he agreed.

Reyna nodded.

"So you think his real memories were written over by memories of a mortal life so it would be easier for him to infiltrate our camp? That's a stretch, Reyna…and what about Jason?"

"If Percy is with us then…" she started

"You think Jason is with the Greeks," he said with a doubtful look.

"You got a better theory?" she asked.

"No, and my brain hurts just thinking about yours."

"I forget thinking is such a strenuous process for you," she grinned.

"Shut up."

They both smiled.

"There's something else, too, Kota."

"What?" he asked.

"Lupa came to me in a dream. She said this mission was just the beginning of something bigger."

"Janus said something like that to me, something about my important journey has begun. And he asked if I would answer the call."

Reyna nodded, "Lupa believes the great prophecy has started."

"I figured as much, but we've got to focus on the task at hand and that's finding Lupa."

She nodded, "You're right."

"Of course, I am. Now, let's go back inside. It's cold out here," he said and they walked back into the cabin.

"Well, I'm going to go take a long, hot shower. Get some rest, Kota. Tomorrow's going to be a long day."


	12. Chapter 12

Dakota XII

Dakota woke to someone shaking his shoulder.

"Dakota, Dakota," Hazel said quietly, shaking his shoulder as he slept on the sofa.

"Hmm…" he opened his eyes and saw Hazel standing over him. She had her hair wrapped in a towel on top of her head.

"Good morning, sunshine," she smiled.

"What time is it?" he yawned.

"Seven," she said handing him a razor. "Bathroom's free."

Dakota rubbed his face. His whiskers were getting a little thick. He hadn't shaved in about three days.

"Thanks, Hazel," he said and took the razor.

Dakota shaved, showered, and changed into some fresh clothes he had in his pack. Everyone was getting their stuff together and getting ready to head out when Reyna looked over to Dakota as he was zipping up his jacket.

"You shaved," she said to him.

"Yeah," he said touching his cheek. "It was getting pretty bad."

Reyna shrugged her shoulders, "I thought it was kinda hot."

Dakota's heart skipped a beat. She hadn't said anything that nice to him in a long time.

"So, what's the plan?" Percy asked.

"We need to find a way to get to Pikes Peak," Reyna said.

"But first, breakfast," Bobby said.

They walked out of the cabin and the snow was deep. It must have snowed a foot overnight, and it was still snowing, although not quite as hard as it had last night.

Everyone entered the resort lobby. Dakota went to the front desk to check them out of their cabin, and everyone else helped themselves to the complimentary breakfast. They all sat at a table and ate their oatmeal and waffles and drank their orange juice.

"Let's go to the ski shop when were done here. Maybe we can get some tips on the best way to get to the peak," Dakota suggested.

"Good idea. We may need to get some hiking gear, too," Hazel said.

They finished their breakfast and headed over to the ski shop. The place was winter sports wonderland. Snowboards hung from the ceiling and lined racks on the walls. Skis, parkas, and boots filled racks throughout the store. A glass case by the cash register contained compasses, knives, and hand held GPS units. The store clerk walked out from behind the counter. She was young, late twenties maybe. She had curly, dark brown hair and matching eyes. She had an athletic build like she'd probably been skiing these mountains all her life.

"Can I help you with anything?" she asked.

"How far is Pikes Peak from here?" Dakota asked her.

"It's not far to the base of the mountain, now getting to the peak is a different story," she answered. "You guys headed that way?"

They nodded.

"Well, by car you could be at the base of the mountain in about an hour, but because of the blizzard the highway department has closed all the roads," She explained.

"Is the storm still bad over the peak?" Reyna asked her.

"Afraid so. The forecasters say the storm has stalled, and it will probably be tomorrow before it moves out. You might want to wait until the storm moves out to go to the peak."

"The storm is connected to Lycaon somehow. If the storm is still there then he probably is too," Reyna whispered to everyone so the store clerk wouldn't hear.

"That gives us around twenty four hours to find him," Dakota said.

"But the mountain is huge, how will we be able to locate him?" Hazel asked.

"Those wolves are probably going to find us before we find them," Reyna answered.

"You know, if you're in a hurry to get there, it would only take about three hours on a snowmobile," the store clerk suggested.

Dakota rubbed a scar on the back of his neck. He was in a really bad ATV accident on a mission in Death Valley six years ago, and ever since then he's done everything he could to stay away from ATV's of any kind.

Reyna looked up at the snowboards hanging from the ceiling, "What about on a board?"

"Yes, that is an option. The trip will take you about half a day, though. It's not a bad ride down there from here right now. With this much snow pack it should be a fairly simple ride, just long," the clerk said.

"And once we reach the base of the mountain?" Hazel asked.

"You'll have to hike to the peak."

"What do you think guys? Up for snowboarding the Rockies?" Reyna asked them.

"Oh, yeah," Bobby nodded with a huge grin on his face, and everyone else nodded in agreement.

"Alright then, get what you need," Reyna told them.

Everyone picked out a board, goggles, ski pants, and other items they needed. Dakota looked into the glass case.

"Excuse me, miss," Dakota said to the store clerk.

"Carmen, call me Carmen," she told him.

"Carmen, can I see one of those knives in the case?" Dakota asked her.

"Sure."

She opened the case and handed Dakota one of the knives. Dakota unsheathed it. It was a typical hiker's knife. It had a metal handle, and the blade was about six inches long with a razor sharp edge on one side and a short serrated section on the other.

"Is the blade stainless steel?" Dakota asked.

"Oh, no, we're sold out of stainless steel. These are sterling silver. We just got them in yesterday. They should help you with your wolf problem."

Dakota looked at her with surprise, "Who are you? How did you…"

She smiled, "A little bird told me."

Dakota looked at the knife again, "We'll take five."

Everyone got what they needed. As they were checking out, Hazel sighed, "Do you guys know how long we'll work in the fields to pay for this trip?"

Bobby looked over to her and said, "Don't remind me."

Carmen led them out of the shop and across the highway to a slope covered in several feet of snow.

Carmen pointed to the south, "The peak is due south. This slope is pretty straight, and it will take you to the base of the mountain. You may not be able to see the peak until your right there because of the blizzard. Just keep going south and you should reach it before nightfall."

Everyone looked down the slope.

"Good luck, pups," Carmen said to them.

Everyone turned to Carmen in surprise, but she was gone.

"Who was that?" Reyna asked in confusion.

"I think it was Carmenta, one of the Camenae," Dakota answered.

"The prophetic nymphs?" Hazel asked.

Dakota nodded, "I think Picus told her we were coming."

"Such a sweet bird," Hazel smiled.

Everyone turned to Hazel.

"What?" she shrugged her shoulders.

"Okay guys, let's suit up," Reyna ordered.

They put their ski pants, gloves, and backpacks on and zipped up their parkas. They put helmets on over their beanies and got strapped into their boards.

"Percy, have you ever snowboarded before?" Dakota asked him.

Percy shook his head, "No."

"You skateboard though, right?" Reyna asked.

"Yeah."

"Same principle, just start out slow and you should have it mastered in no time," Reyna told him.

"You make it sound easy," Percy said.

"Learning is the hardest part. You've just got to get your feel for the board and the terrain," Reyna explained.

Dakota put his hand on Percy's shoulder, "Don't worry, Percy. I'll help you figure it out."

"Is everyone ready?" Reyna asked.

"Woo, yeah! This is going to be so much fun!" Bobby yelled in excitement.

Dakota tossed his sunglasses into the air, and a pair of ski goggles landed in his hand. He put them on and everyone else pulled their goggles down over their eyes.

"This is going to be a long trip, so pace yourself. If you need a break, let me know and we'll stop to rest. Visibility through this snowfall is limited, so try to stay in sight of each other. I don't want to lose anyone," Reyna ordered.

Everyone nodded.

"Okay, let's do it."

Everyone turned their board and started down the slope.

Dakota stayed alongside Percy, coaching him how to use his heel-side and toe-side. Dakota taught him side-slipping, traversing, and linking turns. Percy was a natural. He was soon attempting small tricks like ollies and nose and tail rolls.

"You ready to show 'em how it's done?" Dakota grinned at Percy.

"Oh, yeah," Percy smiled.

They took off toward Reyna, Bobby, and Hazel. Dakota and Percy caught up with them just as they were coming to a ridge in the slope. Dakota and Percy flew past the others getting big air off the ridge. Percy busted a method air, grabbing the heel edge of his board between the bindings with his leading hand while in mid air. Dakota came off the ridge in a back flip over the tail of his board. Both stuck the landing.

"Woo, yeah, Percy!" Bobby yelled.

Percy threw his arms up in celebration and everyone cheered him on. After that, every little ridge they came to, everyone busted tricks: misty flip 540, 90-roll, wildcat, barrel roll. They were having a blast.

A few hours into the trip the snowfall began to get much heavier, and they had to slow down and stay close together. They took a break in a patch of trees on the slope to get out of the wind and snow. They ate some rations and hydrated.

They continued riding south for a few more hours. The storm was getting bad.

"We've got to be getting close," Reyna said.

"We are. I can see the base of the mountain. It's only about a mile from here," Dakota told her.

"How can you see it through the blizzard?" Percy asked him.

"These goggles…clear vision is one of its magical powers," Dakota explained.

They got to the base of Pikes Peak in the afternoon, but it looked like it could have been night because of the storm. They got out of their snowboards and strapped them to their backpacks. Dakota gave them each a silver knife that he had gotten at the ski shop.

"So, we go up?" Hazel asked.

"We go up," Reyna answered.

"Stay alert," Dakota said. "We could easily get ambushed in this storm."

They started their ascent. They kept close to each other so they wouldn't get separated in the storm. They hiked until nightfall, and the storm still raged. The wind howled and the snow blew sideways. It was cold, very cold, and it was beginning to affect them.

"I'm freezing," Bobby complained.

"We can't stop now," Reyna said. "We're too close. We've got to keep moving."

They hiked further up the mountain, then suddenly, they all stopped in their tracks at the sound of howling wolves. They all stood still listening as the howling got louder. Glowing red eyes became visible through the storm, and everyone drew their knives. Then a whistling sound ripped through the wind, then again and again. An arrow stuck into a tree next to Dakota.

"Get down," Dakota ordered, and everyone hit the deck and crawled for cover behind a large boulder.

They peeked around the boulder to see what was happening. A group of about half a dozen girls dressed in gray and white camouflage were firing silver arrows at a huge pack of black wolves.

"Who are they?" Bobby whispered.

"Hunters," Reyna said like the word tasted bad in her mouth.

"Hunters?" Percy asked.

"Immortal maidens who hunt monsters. I've heard stories, but have never actually seen them before. I always thought they were just a myth," Dakota explained. "We'd better stay out of sight. They'll kill us if they think we are interfering with their hunt."

Reyna peeked around the boulder, "I don't see Lycaon anywhere."

"He's got to be close, though," Hazel said.

Percy peeked around the boulder and suddenly had a confused look on his face.

"What is it Percy?" Dakota asked.

"That girl, I know her. That's my friend Thalia and she's really here it's not just a vision. What is she doing here?" Percy asked then began to get up and walk out from behind the boulder. "Tha-" Percy started to yell Thalia's name, but Bobby grabbed him and pulled him back behind the boulder covering his mouth.

"Are you crazy?" Bobby asked.

"She's my friend. I don't want her to get hurt. She shouldn't be here," Percy said with panic.

"We'll figure that out later, Percy," Bobby said.

Reyna looked at Percy and Dakota could tell the wheels were turning in her head.

"We've got to fall back so they don't see us. Lycaon is not with these wolves, but he's probably still on the mountain. We should try to find his trail," Dakota said.

They were about to fall back when Hazel said, "Where's Reyna?"

She was no longer with the group. Dakota pulled his goggles down over his eyes and saw her about fifty yards away, sneaking up on a Hunter.

"What is she doing? Wait here while I get Reyna, then we'll find a place to hide out of the storm," Dakota ordered.

Dakota kept low sneaking through the trees toward Reyna. He was about twenty feet from her when Reyna jumped on the Hunter's back. They both rolled and Reyna covered the Hunter's mouth as they struggled with each other. Dakota knew he had to do something drastic. They couldn't just let her go now, she would tell the other Hunters they were here. Dakota ran over to them. They were still struggling. In desperation, Dakota balled his fist and punched the Hunter square in the face, knocking her out cold.

"What are you doing?" Reyna asked in frustration.

"Saving your life, come on," he said, pulling her off the ground.

They ran to the boulder and met up with Percy, Bobby, and Hazel, then they all snuck away from the Hunters and the wolves. They ran into a shallow cave for cover.

"Start a fire and break out some rations. We'll rest here for a while," Dakota said. He looked at Reyna and grabbed her arm between her shoulder and elbow, "You, come with me."

Dakota drug Reyna out of the cave back into the storm. He pulled her along and she struggled.

"Let me go! You have no right!" she yelled.

"Shut up," Dakota said sternly.

"What's your problem?" Reyna asked.

They reached a cluster of trees that broke the wind and snow, and Dakota pushed Reyna in front of him releasing her arm. "What were you thinking back there? You could've gotten us all killed," Dakota scolded.

"What was I thinking? You sucker punched that girl."

"You gave me no choice. And what were you going to do with her, Reyna?"

"Percy knows one of them. I bet they know where Jason is," Reyna reasoned.

"They're Hunters. They don't know anything, nor do they care, besides this mission is about finding Lupa not Jason."

"We can still look for him. We have to find him. What if he's in trouble?" she said with desperation in her voice.

"Jason is my best friend, and I want to find him as much as anyone, but you're taking it too far. Jason is a big boy. He can take care of himself."

"We could've made that Hunter tell us where the Greeks are."

"Gods, Reyna, listen to yourself. I know you think you're in love with Jason, but…"

"You don't know anything!" she yelled.

"I know he doesn't love you," Dakota said. "He cares about you, sure, but he doesn't love you."

"You don't know what you're talking about. This is my business!"

"It's not just your business when your actions endanger everyone!" he yelled.

"Since when do you care about anyone but yourself? I'm going to find Jason; I have to!"

They were screaming at each other at this point.

"Why? So you can tell him you love him? Honey, he doesn't love you back, not the way you deserve!"

"Oh, what, and you think you can?" she yelled as tears streamed down her face. "You never could before!"

"That's not true and you know it!" he yelled.

"If you loved me then why did you walk away?" she asked him, desperately wanting the truth.

Dakota wanted to tell her the truth. He wanted to tell her about Venus' visit a year ago when she told him the woman who loves him would lead a hard and tragic life filled with grief and death. Dakota couldn't let Reyna have that kind of life, so after two years together, Dakota broke it off without giving her a real explanation.

"You wouldn't understand," Dakota sighed.

Reyna wiped the tears from her face. "You know what, just forget about it," she said and turned to walk back toward the cave.

"Reyna," he called after her.

"Leave me alone, Kota," she said without looking back. She disappeared into the storm, leaving Dakota standing there alone.


	13. Chapter 13

Percy XIII

When Dakota and Reyna left the cave, Percy looked around. It was a small cave with leaves and sticks covering the floor. Percy figured there were caves like this all over the mountain. Percy and Bobby gathered up sticks and leaves, and Hazel started a fire. They sat around the fire, warming their hands and eating a snack. Percy couldn't get his mind off seeing Thalia. He wanted to run out into the storm and try to find her. He had no idea what she was doing up on this mountain fighting werewolves, but there was this feeling in his gut that maybe she was doing what she was meant to do.

"Thinking about your friend?" Hazel asked Percy.

"It was so weird seeing her here, but it also seemed right. Are those Hunters demigods, too?" Percy asked.

"Honestly, I don't know much about them. They aren't really talked about. All I know is they stay young forever and can only die in battle." Hazel answered.

"Do you think she's been a Hunter all this time and I never knew?" Percy asked.

"I don't know, Percy. I wouldn't think a Hunter would lead any kind of normal life; they're always on the hunt." She guessed.

"But she goes to my high school. I see her everyday. Maybe I should go try to find her. She might be in trouble." Percy worried.

"She's fine, Percy. She knew what she was doing with those wolves. You shouldn't worry about her." Bobby told him.

Percy just shook his head still obviously worried.

"You care for her, and you are devoted to her safety. You are a good friend, Percy and I'm sure she knows that." Hazel said.

Percy nodded.

Reyna walked into the cave, shaking the snow off her jacket. She sat down by the fire to warm herself.

"Everything okay?" Bobby asked her.

"Fine." She said quickly even though it was obvious she wasn't fine.

A few seconds later Dakota walked into the cave and sat down next to Percy. No one said a word. There was an awkward silence for a few minutes.

"So," Hazel said, breaking the silence. "What's our next move?"

"We search the mountain for Lycaon." Reyna said.

"Do you think we'll be able to find him in this storm, especially since its dark now?" Hazel asked.

"We have to try." Reyna answered.

Reyna gave Dakota an annoyed look. Percy got the feeling whatever happened between them outside the cave wasn't pleasant.

"Kota, can you make those goggles night vision?" Reyna asked him.

He nodded, but didn't say a word.

"Kota will take point. We will keep ascending the mountain until we find Lycaon." Reyna said.

"We should probably get going. If the Hunters find Lycaon before we do, who knows what will happen to Lupa." Bobby said.

They strapped on their packs, put out the fire, and headed back out into the storm. Dakota led them up the mountain, able to see through the snow and the dark with his night vision goggles. They had hiked for less than an hour when Dakota stopped.

"There he is." Dakota said, pointing in front of them.

"How far?" Reyna asked.

"About two hundred yards. He looks like he might be injured. He's moving slow and holding his shoulder." Dakota explained.

"Maybe the Hunter's wounded him." Bobby said hopefully.

"Maybe…I only see two wolves with him." Dakota said.

"We should take him now while we outnumber him." Reyna suggested.

"Hang on…he just picked something up off the ground. It looks like a bag." Dakota said.

"A burlap sack?" Percy asked.

Dakota nodded, "Could be."

"He put Lupa in a burlap sack when he took her." Percy remembered.

"It looks like she's still in there." Dakota said still looking through his night vision goggles. "Wait a second, what's he doing? Whoa, he just threw her off the cliff!"

"What? How far down?" Reyna gasped.

"I can't tell from this angle. If we're going to do this we need to do it now." Dakota suggested.

Everyone already had their silver knives drawn.

"Lets go." Reyna ordered.

They ran to Lycaon and the two wolves, taking them by surprise. They backed Lycaon and the wolves to the edge of the cliff with nowhere to go. The wolves snarled, showing their razor sharp teeth, but they didn't attack. They stayed at Lycaon's heel.

"And who are you?" Lycaon asked them.

"You took Lupa, and we're here to get her back." Hazel said grudgingly.

"More demigods…interesting." Lycaon smirked. "Well, I'm sorry to say, but you just missed Lupa. She took quite a tumble."

Dakota pointed his knife toward Lycaon, "I saw you throw her off the cliff."

Lycaon turned his head and looked over the cliff.

"I hope she held her breath. It's a long way down." Lycaon said and snapped his fingers.

The wolves charged them. Dakota and Hazel fought the wolf on the right and Bobby and Reyna fought the wolf to the left. They were slashing their knives at the wolves and ducking and rolling from attacks. Percy was left standing face to face with Lycaon himself. Lycaon started to bend over and kneel down like he was getting on his hands and knees. Lycaon's face began to morph into that of a wolf's, and then his body began to morph, as well. In only a few seconds, Lycaon had transformed into a jet black wolf the size of a pick-up truck.

"Not good." Percy muttered to himself.

Lycaon leaped toward Percy, and Percy dove out of his path just in time. Percy didn't even have time to get back to his feet when he saw a gigantic paw about to come down on him. Percy rolled to avoid getting smashed. Lycaon kept on Percy so he couldn't get to his feet. Percy slashed at Lycaon with his silver knife. Percy was wishing he had a silver sword. He wondered how anyone used a knife as their primary weapon; it must take an exceptionally skilled and clever fighter. Percy stayed on the defensive, slashing just to keep Lycaon at bay. Percy had scooted and rolled until he was almost at the edge of the cliff. Lycaon was going to try to push him over the edge. Suddenly, Percy heard a yelp, then another. The other two wolves had been struck. It was just enough to distract Lycaon. When Lycaon let his guard down for that split second, Percy, still lying on his back, used both feet to kick Lycaon away, giving Percy just enough time to scramble back to his feet. The other two wolves were dead, and now they had Lycaon surrounded. Everyone looked around to one another, and it was like they could read each others minds. Simultaneously, everyone flipped their knives in their hands grabbing the blade edge and in the same motion threw them at Lycaon. Lycaon roared in pain as he now had five silver knives hilt deep in his hide. The roar stopped as he dissolved into a puddle of darkness.

"Is everyone okay?" Reyna asked.

Everyone nodded.

"Good, nice work."

"Lupa!" Hazel gasped.

They ran to the edge of the cliff and looked down. The storm had begun to pass, and the full moon shone bright enough for everyone to see clearly. It was about a fifty foot drop to the cliff bottom. A brown burlap sack, which looked like a sack of potatoes, lay in the snow at the bottom. Percy knew that even with the snow to cushion the impact, a fall from that height would most likely be fatal. Everyone stood there with mournful looks on their faces.

"Did you hear that?" Hazel asked staring down at the cliff bottom.

"Hear what?" Bobby asked.

"Shh…listen."

A faint yelp and whine echoed below them.

"She's alive!" Reyna said in amazement. "We've got to get down there."

Dakota was already digging through his pack. He pulled out a long, black repelling rope and a harness. He tossed the harness to Reyna. She took her pack off her back and stepped into the harness, strapping it to her hips and thighs. She clipped her pack to a D-shaped hook on the harness as Dakota looped the rope through an anchor ring and tied a knot.

"We'll have to repel down one at a time." Dakota said as he anchored the rope to the top of the cliff.

Reyna looped the rope through the harness then tossed the rope off the cliff. Percy wondered if there was anything these guys _didn't_ know how to do.

Reyna eased herself off the edge of the cliff and said, "See you at the bottom."

Percy watched as she slid down the rope so fast she could've been freefalling. When she was about ten feet from the bottom she slowed her decent, making a nice soft landing in ankle deep snow.

"Showoff," Bobby muttered.

Reyna unstrapped herself from the harness, tugged the rope twice, and Dakota began to pull the rope and harness back to the top of the cliff. Hazel was the next to go down, although she didn't make quite the show out of it that Reyna had.

Bobby looked at Percy, "Ever repelled before?"

"Yeah, we have a rock wall in the athletic department at my school. Repelling was a requirement for P.E. I bet I repelled that wall fifty times." Percy explained.

"Good. You should have no problem then." Bobby smiled.

Dakota went down next. When he reached the bottom, Bobby pulled the harness back up. Percy was about to strap into the harness when Reyna's voice echoed from the bottom.

"Bobby!" she yelled. "I need you down here."

Bobby looked over the edge, "I'm going to send Percy down first."

"I need you down here right now. You need to take a look at Lupa. She's really hurt." She yelled back up at Bobby.

"I thought she was the healer?" Percy asked.

"She is, but she knows nothing about canines. I've always loved animals, and I want to become a vet, so I've been studying animal physiology for a while now." Bobby explained as he strapped himself into the harness. "You sure you can do this, Percy?"

"I know I can." Percy answered confidently.

"Okay, see you in a minute." Bobby said then eased himself over the edge.

Percy watched as Bobby lowered himself to the bottom. He thought about Bobby wanting to be a vet. He was really good with the horses and the tracking dogs. It occurred to Percy that the reason there were no adults at the camp was that when they reached adulthood they moved on to other things. The training they get as kids helps them survive as adults outside the protection of the camp. They eventually get to lead somewhat normal lives and that gave Percy some hope.

Bobby tugged the rope and Percy pulled up the harness. Percy got himself strapped into the harness, clipped his pack to the hook, and eased himself off the cliff. It was just like he remembered from P.E. Percy was only about a quarter of the way down when he felt a tug on the rope. He stopped his decent and looked up. Two pairs of glowing red eyes were staring down at him. The wolves began to growl. One of the wolves grabbed the rope between its teeth and began to pull it up quickly.

"Hey, Guys! I've got a problem!" Percy yelled down to them.

Everyone looked up and saw what was happening. The rope was being pulled back up the cliff. It was already too high for anyone to reach.

"Drop as quick as you can, Percy!" Bobby yelled.

Percy descended quickly, but he was still twenty feet from the bottom when he hit the knot at the end of the rope, and the wolves were still pulling him higher. Percy reached for his pack to get his knife, but it was out of his grasp. He was now only about twenty feet from the top of the cliff and the snarling mauls of the wolves. He needed to cut himself free somehow. He would rather die from a fall than be eaten by wolves. Suddenly, Percy heard a familiar voice in his head, _Anaklusmos, use it only for emergencies._ Percy instinctively took the ink pen out of his pocket and uncapped it. It grew into a bronze, double-edged sword.

"Whoa!" Percy yelled in surprise.

Percy looked up at the wolves that were now only ten feet away, and then looked down to the cliff bottom, which was a long way down. He raised the sword hesitantly, then he heard another voice in his head; it was Annabeth's voice, _R__emember your lifeline, dummy!_ And with that, Percy swung his sword, cutting the repelling rope, then plummeted nearly fifty feet to the bottom.


	14. Chapter 14

Reyna XIV

"Percy!" Reyna screamed as she watched him fall.

Percy crashed onto the ground on his right side. The impact was so intense it carved a crater in the snow, and Percy's sword went flying out of his hand. Everyone ran over to him. He didn't move.

Reyna knelt down beside him and put her hand on his shoulder, "Percy?"

"Ouch," Percy grumbled and rolled over onto his back.

Everyone gasped in shock that he survived.

"Gods, Reyna! You brought him back from the dead!" Bobby said in amazement.

"I did no such thing."

Bobby pointed his finger at her, "You touched him."

"I wasn't dead, Bobby." Percy said sitting up and rubbing his eyes.

"Well, you should be." Dakota said.

"Let me take a look at you, Percy." Reyna said.

Reyna touched his arms, legs, ribs, and spine.

Reyna shook her head in disbelief, "Not a single broken bone or internal injury."

"You are one lucky son of Neptune," Dakota said offering Percy his hand to help him to his feet.

Reyna glared at Percy. She got the feeling there was more to it than just luck. They needed to find out who Percy really was and soon. If they didn't figure out what was really going on, the real reason he appeared at camp, they could be in a world of trouble.

Percy stood and dusted the snow off his jacket.

"Unbelievable," Hazel smiled.

Bobby still looked bewildered, "How are you not dead?"

Percy looked up to the top of the cliff and said, "I have no idea."

The wolves began howling.

"We probably need to get going before they find a way down here." Hazel suggested.

"Lupa isn't stable enough to move." Reyna said walking back over to Lupa.

The howling was getting louder.

"You'd better make her stable enough," Dakota told her.

Everyone stood around Lupa. Reyna and Bobby knelt down beside her. She was unconscious and her breathing was shallow and made a gurgling sound.

"What first, Bobby?" Reyna asked.

"Spine and major organs, the broken bones can wait."

Reyna looked up at Dakota, "You know you're probably going to have to carry me out of here, right?"

Dakota nodded, "Just do what you have to do."

"We need something to carry Lupa on to keep her stabilized." Bobby said.

"The snowboards," Hazel suggested.

Dakota grabbed some duct tape out of his pack and Hazel and Percy began taking the bindings off the snowboards so they could strap them together to make a spine board.

Reyna held her hands over Lupa. "Here we go," she said then placed her hands on Lupa's side, along her ribcage.

Reyna could feel the injuries: punctured lung, fractured vertebra, ruptured spleen, as well as about fifteen broken bones and a severe concussion. Reyna was getting weak as she healed Lupas most serious injuries. Reyna was breathing heavily and beginning to sweat even in the bitter cold. Bobby held a canteen to Reyna's mouth and made her take a drink of nectar to replenish her strength. Lupas tail quivered as Reyna repaired the damaged organs. Reyna took her hands off Lupa and almost fell over. Bobby caught her and helped her sit up against a boulder. Bobby put his hand on Reyna's forehead.

"I'm fine." Reyna told Bobby. "Lupas vitals are stable for now, but she still needs a lot of work. I wasn't able to mend any of the broken bones, and Bobby, there are several. We need help."

"What about a faun? Surely there is one on this mountain somewhere." Bobby suggested.

"Good idea."

Percy walked over to them, "The boards are ready."

"Percy, there is an emergency survival blanket and a sedative injection in my med kit. Can you get it?" Reyna asked Percy.

"Sure," Percy replied and went to get the items.

"Bobby, sedate her. I don't want her waking up; she'd be in excruciating pain. Wrap her in the blanket and secure her to the board with duct tape." Reyna told him.

"Got it," Bobby nodded. "What about you? You look like you're about to faint."

"I'll be okay. I just need to rest. Tell Hazel we need to find the hearth of a faun. Hopefully she can find one." Reyna said.

A wolf howled in the distance and everyone looked around.

"Bobby," Percy yelled over to him. "Come on, man. We've got to hurry."

Bobby ran over to Lupa. Percy handed Bobby the sedative and he injected it into the back of Lupas neck. They carefully wrapped Lupa in a blanket that looked like a sheet of aluminum foil and slid the makeshift spine board under her. Using duct tape, they secured Lupa to the board. Bobby and Percy each grabbed an end of the board and picked it up off the snow covered ground.

Dakota walked over to Reyna, "We've got to go." He told her.

She tried to stand and Dakota helped her get to her feet. As soon as she stood up, her knees buckled, and Dakota caught her before she fell.

"Well, it looks like I am carrying you out of here." Dakota said.

Reyna put her arm around Dakota's neck, and he put one arm around her back and the other behind her knees and picked her up. She rested her head on his shoulder.

"Let's go." Dakota told everyone and they started walking with Hazel leading the way.

"Thank you, Kota." Reyna whispered.

"Sleep," he told her, and she nodded off instantly.

Reyna's horrifying nightmare began with her standing in snow up to her ankles and looking up so high that she had a crick in her neck. What she was looking at was the most disturbing and frightening thing she had ever seen. The creature was colossal; it must've been thirty feet tall. The monster had the upper body of a man, a very grotesque man. He wore bronze armor over his muscular frame, and in his left hand he held a spear as long and thick as a utility pole. His face was pale and brutal. His eyes were solid white and completely inane. His dark hair was a debris filled mess on his head. His lower body was equally appalling. His legs were covered in pale yellow reptilian scales, and his feet were enormous claws. On the ground next to him was a large cage, like one used to transport live animals. The cage sparkled so brightly in the sunlight that it was almost blinding. It looked like the cage was made of solid gold. Reyna could tell there was something in the cage, but she couldn't make out what it was. The monster began to laugh revealing fangs that put those of Lycaon's to shame. The laugh was chilling, and it echoed throughout the surrounding mountains.

"You are too late, Reyna Ballard. I, the giant Polybotes, have risen, and now neither you nor that annoying son of Neptune can stop me from joining my brethren in the next great Gigantomachy." He boasted.

Reyna knew Gigantomachy referred to the war between the giants and the Olympians. Gaea, seeking revenge for the titans defeat, created the giants to rise up against the gods. It seemed to Reyna that ancient history was repeating itself.

Reyna was almost too terrified to speak, but she managed to say, "How did you escape from Tartarus?"

"My mother, Gaea, is waking. Soon, all of my brethren will rise. We will seek vengeance on the gods that killed us in the last Gigantomachy, and then we will strike Olympus at its core."

The assumption Reyna had that the great prophecy had begun was confirmed.

Reyna looked down at the cage, "What's in the cage?"

"Oh, beautiful craftsmanship wouldn't you say? Since Midas has escaped the Underworld, I had him build me this magical cage made of solid gold. It can imprison anything, even a god."

Reyna looked closely through the bars of the cage. She met the eyes of a woman. The woman spoke faintly in Reyna's mind _Free me from my prison and I, Cybele, will help you destroy this giant._

The giant chuckled, "Challenge me and try to liberate the goddess if you dare, Reyna, just bring me Percy Jackson. His father killed me in the first war, and I shall take my revenge by killing his son."

The giant slammed his spear into the snow covered ground. The shockwave rattled through the mountains. A sheet of snow broke loose from one of the mountains, and an avalanche of white came rushing toward Reyna. She tried to turn and run, but she couldn't move. She screamed as the avalanche overcame her, and then she woke, still screaming.

"Hey, it's okay. You're alright. Shh, shh," Dakota said as he grabbed her shoulders to calm her down.

She finally caught her breath and looked around. They were in a cave. It was large but not very deep. She could see the sun coming up outside. She noticed everyone was sleeping on their bedrolls on the floor, and a small hearth fire burned in the center of the cave. She saw a tall, thin faun passed out on a rock ledge on the other side of the cave, and she saw Lupa sleeping soundly by the fire.

Reyna rose up completely into a sitting position and her stomach did a back flip.

"You alright?" Dakota asked her.

She cupped her hand over her mouth, got to her feet, and ran out of the cave. She braced herself against a tree with one hand and held her hair back with the other hand as she heaved. She was leaned over in the same position waiting for the next wave of nausea when she felt someone's hand on her back. She tilted her head and saw Dakota. He didn't say a word, he just rubbed her back. This wasn't the first time he'd seen her get sick. At least he didn't have to hold her hair back this time. Sometimes, the healing takes more out of her than just her strength. Reyna stood up straight and took a deep breath.

"Better?" Dakota asked.

Reyna nodded.

"That must've been some nightmare." Dakota said.

Polybotes' horrible face flashed in Reyna's head and she turned and heaved again.

"Ugh…" she grumbled as she wiped her mouth.

Dakota handed her a stick of gum.

"Thanks," she said and took the gum. "How's Lupa?"

"She's fine. She should be as good as new when she wakes up."

"It's a good thing because we're going to need her." Reyna said.

"What's going on, Reyna? What did you see?" Dakota asked.

"Trouble is stirring, big trouble. Come on." She said and they walked back into the cave.

Everyone was just waking up. Lupa walked over to Reyna. Reyna bowed her head to her.

"Thank you, my pup, for saving my life." Lupa said.

Reyna nodded, "I have to tell you something, Madam Lupa."

Lupa bowed her head giving Reyna permission to speak.

"The great prophecy has started, and I know what it's about." Reyna took a deep breath, "It's the next Gigantomachy."

The cave got eerily silent for a moment.

"Tell me." Lupa said to Reyna.

Everyone gathered around, even the faun, as Reyna told them about her dream. When she told them about Cybele, the faun interrupted.

"The mountain mother has been gone for days. The wolves have been able to occupy the mountain without her presence. I haven't left my cave in almost a week." The faun explained.

"The mountain mother?" Percy asked.

"Cybele, goddess and mother of the mountains," Reyna clarified.

"I fear Polybotes may be draining Cybele's power to replenish his own." Lupa said.

"But how?" Hazel asked. "She's a goddess."

"She is an imprisoned goddess, and that makes her vulnerable. If the giant succeeds in draining her completely, she will cease to exist." Lupa explained.

"What do we do?" Dakota asked.

"We attempt a rescue." Lupa said. "Percy Jackson, Polybotes wants you, and if you choose not to go on this mission, I will understand. Just know, you could be our biggest ally in this fight."

Reyna got the feeling Lupa knew something about Percy that no one else knew, and she wasn't sharing.

Everyone looked at Percy and he said, "I'm going. You guys are my friends, and I want to help."

Everyone smiled and Bobby patted him on the shoulder.

Lupa bowed her head to Percy, "You're loyalty to your friends is admirable."

"How do we find this giant? Do you think he is here on Pikes Peak?" Hazel asked.

"I believe he is. This is where he trapped Cybele, and he will not join his brethren while he is in a weakened state. But once he drains Cybele completely, he will move on. We should try to find him immediately." Lupa said then turned to the faun. "And the faun will lead us to him."

"Me?" the faun gasped. "Oh, no. I'm not going anywhere near that giant."

"You are the only one here who can track Cybele, and if you ever want your mountain back, you will help us." Lupa said scornfully.

The faun hesitated then said, "Fine, I will track her, but once we find her, I'm gone."

"Agreed." Lupa said. "Pups, get your gear; we have a giant to find."


	15. Chapter 15

Dakota XV

The sun shone bright that morning, and the reflection off the snow made it seem that much brighter. It would've been a beautiful day for skiing or snowboarding the slopes or even hiking to the peak. Instead, they were being led, by a faun no less, to a giant who was most likely going to kill them all. Dakota was pumped. He loved battle. During a fight his mind would get clearer and his instincts would take over. He could anticipate his opponent's strikes and was almost always one step ahead.

Lupa walked up beside Dakota, "I trust you will do everything in your power to ensure Percy survives this mission?"

"Yes, ma'am," he nodded. "Why is Percy so important in all of this? Is he Greek?"

"All will be explained in time. Just know, while you and Jason were defeating Krios on Mount Tam, Percy was defeating Kronos on Olympus. He is a powerful demigod, and he has a good heart, that much I can tell. Why he does not know his true identity is a mystery to me." Lupa explained.

"Reyna thinks someone has rearranged his memories; that someone is trying to hide the truth from him and us." Dakota told her.

"I assume as much myself. We can only hope the intentions behind it are credible."

Dakota looked toward Percy, "Do you think he'll ever remember who he really is?"

"I cannot say my pup."

They walked for a couple of hours. The faun led them into a patch of trees on the slope. Dakota noticed the faun seemed to be getting more nervous with every step. He knew they were getting close. Dakota caught a glimpse of a flash of light out of the corner of his eye. He stopped and turned in the direction of the light. Off in the distance, on the slope there was a reflection like a mirror would make in the sunlight.

"This is as far as I go," the faun said and pointed toward the light. "Cybele is there, and the giant is close by. I can smell him from here."

The faun disappeared into the trees and everyone gathered at the tree line looking toward the light.

"The reflection must be coming from the cage." Reyna said.

"I don't see the giant." Percy said.

"Maybe we can sneak up and release the goddess while the giant isn't around." Bobby suggested.

"How are we supposed to free her? How do we break into a cage that a goddess can't even break out of?" Hazel asked.

Reyna turned to Hazel, "You feel like playing with fire?"

"Always," Hazel grinned.

Reyna pointed to a large patch of trees up the slope from the cage, "See those trees? I need you to set them on fire."

"You want me to start a forest fire?" Hazel asked with a puzzled look on her face.

"Yes, and get it as hot as you can. Go." Reyna told her and Hazel took off toward the trees.

Dakota knew Reyna had a good plan. If Hazel could burn the trees and cause the snow to start melting, there would be a stream of water flowing right toward them. Running water reverses Midas' golden touch. It could work.

"Now all we have to do is entertain a thirty foot giant. Let's go." Reyna said and they all headed toward the cage.

When they got to the cage, the giant was still nowhere to be seen. Everyone knelt beside the cage and bowed their heads to the goddess.

"My Lady, are you okay?" Reyna asked Cybele.

"Demigods…Does it look like I'm okay? Get me out of here." Cybele grumbled.

"We're working on it, my Lady. Where is the giant?" Reyna asked.

The goddesses eyes widened, and she pointed behind them. Everyone turned around and there stood Polybotes. He towered above them looking down. He had a hideous grin on his gruesome face, and his odor was so foul it was nauseating.

"You arrived, and I see you brought Percy Jackson." Polybotes pointed his spear toward Percy, "I will take pleasure in killing you, boy."

"My father killed you once, and I will continue that tradition today by killing you myself!" Percy yelled.

Everyone turned to Percy with stunned looks on their faces.

"What?" Percy whispered to them. "You said entertain him."

"That's right, and I will help him in his victory!" Bobby yelled at Polybotes. "We're going to cut you down to size and kick your ugly…"

"Bobby," Reyna nudged him.

"I want to play, too." Bobby whined.

Polybotes began to chuckle then broke out into a horrible laugh. "Fools. You cannot kill me; the gods cannot even kill me this time, not even with the help of the Fates. The giants are rising and we will destroy you all."

Polybotes struck the ground with his enormous spear and half a dozen monsters rose from the snow. The monsters were literally snowmen and not Frosty either. They were about eight feet tall, had six arms, and smelled worse than Polybotes, if that was even possible. The snowmen came at them.

"Separate!" Lupa yelled, and everyone took off in different directions.

Two snowmen followed Lupa, two followed Reyna, and two followed Bobby, leaving Dakota and Percy free to attempt an attack on Polybotes.

"Percy, he's big, but slow! Pace yourself and let's try to exhaust him!" Dakota yelled to Percy.

Percy was standing in front of Polybotes and Dakota was behind Polybotes. Dakota saw Percy pull something out of his pocket, and suddenly there was a bronze sword in his hand. Dakota had his spear ready, and they charged the giant at the same time. Polybotes focused on Percy, giving Dakota the attack advantage. Dakota threw his spear, piercing the scaly hide of the giant right behind the knee. Polybotes roared in pain, and his leg buckled like he had just been dead legged. Polybotes knee hit the ground with a rumble. Percy was able to jump onto the giant's chest, and Dakota jumped onto the giant's back. They were able to scramble up to Polybotes' shoulders while he was distracted pulling the spear out of his leg. Golden ichor, the blood of immortals, dripped from his leg, but the wound quickly healed. From the height of the giant's shoulders, Dakota could see the battle raging below him. Three of the snowmen had been destroyed and now Lupa, Reyna, and Bobby were each in a head to head match with the remaining snowmen.

Dakota could hear Bobby yelling, "Get you some you overgrown snow cone!"

Dakota looked toward the patch of trees where Hazel was, and sure enough, there was smoke bellowing from the treetops. They needed to give Hazel more time to fully engulf the trees, though.

Polybotes finally got back to his feet, swatting at Dakota and Percy, trying to knock them to the ground. They held on, trying to avoid the swings. Percy took a hit by the blunt end of the giant's spear causing him to lose his grip. Dakota watched as Percy began to fall toward the ground. When Percy was falling alongside the giant's left leg, he stabbed his sword hilt deep into the scales and held on. The force of his weight pulled him downward ripping Polybotes' leg open and spilling golden ichor all over Percy.

"Percy, its poison!" Dakota tried to warn Percy about the giant's blood.

Dakota expected Percy to start smoldering and crying out in pain when the ichor touched his skin, but the poison had no effect on Percy, it was like he was invulnerable to the poison. When Percy had slid the entire length of the giant's leg, he pulled the sword out of the gaping wound and stabbed it into the enormous claw foot he was now standing on. Polybotes was whaling in agony. Dakota, still standing on the giant's shoulder, drew his sword and drove it into Polybotes ear. It was a trick he and Jason discovered when they battled a Cyclops a few years ago; when the opponent is big and difficult to injure, the ear is one place major damage can be inflicted. Polybotes was still roaring and was now swinging his arms trying to knock Dakota off of him. Dakota slid down the armor on the giant's back then leaped off of him. Dakota landed in the snow rolling away from the giant. He got to his feet and noticed Percy was still stabbing and slashing at the giant's feet and ankles. Dakota could smell smoke now and noticed the trees up the slope were completely engulfed. It wouldn't be long until the snow melt reached them. Polybotes kicked the foot Percy was standing on and Percy went flying. He landed in the snow next to Cybele's cage. Polybotes wounds were already healing, and he was regaining his composure. Dakota ran over to Percy and helped him to his feet. Lupa, Reyna, and Bobby joined them having destroyed the remaining snowmen.

"What now?" Bobby asked.

"We have to give Hazel more time. Circle the giant, keep him surrounded, and take advantage of any opportunity to attack." Lupa told them.

They did as Lupa said and all five of them surrounded the giant. Lupa snarled and growled at Polybotes and everyone else pointed their weapons at him. Reyna began firing arrows at the giants head while Percy, Dakota, and Bobby slashed at his legs with their swords. Lupa leaped onto the giant's leg and began ripping into him with her razor sharp teeth. Polybotes pulled arrows out of his face and swatted at Lupa to knock her off of him. He kicked his feet to avoid the sword attacks and roared so loud the entire mountain vibrated. That was all it took. The vibration on the mountain caused the snow on the slope to shift slightly and the water started flowing. A small stream began to trickle down the slope toward them.

"Percy, get ready!" Dakota yelled to him.

Percy and Dakota circled around the giant until Percy was standing next to the cage and Dakota stood guard near him.

"I'm about to release you," Percy told Cybele. "Are you ready?"

"Of course I'm ready young man." she said to Percy. "You are the son of the Earthshaker, are you not?"

Percy hesitated.

"He is, my Lady." Dakota confirmed.

"I will require your assistance in destroying the giant." she told Percy.

Percy turned to see the water was getting closer and turned back to the goddess, "What do you need me to do?"

"You will know what to do when the time comes." She told him.

"Percy, the water!" Dakota yelled.

Percy turned toward the stream of water that was now only a few feet away. Percy thrust his arm toward the stream and took control of the water. The water rose into the air and he guided it toward the cage. When the water reached the cage Percy allowed it to shower down over the golden bars. The gold began to melt away revealing plain steel bars. The cage burst into pieces as Cybele escaped her prison. She grew to a height almost as tall as the giant. Polybotes was stunned to see she had been released.

"You will pay for holding me prisoner, giant." She said.

Polybotes took a few steps back. The goddess raised her hands and the mountain began to shake.

"Now, hero." She said to Percy.

Percy stomped his foot as hard as he could into the snow. A crack appeared in the snow running from Percy's foot to the giant. The crack ran between the giant's claw feet and opened into a deep fissure in the ground.

Polybotes began to lose his balance. "This isn't over! The giants will be triumphant!" Polybotes yelled then fell into the fissure.

Cybele clapped her hands together, the fissure closed, and the mountain quit shaking.

"Oh, snap!" Bobby said in excitement.

Hazel came running up to them and put her hand on Bobby's shoulder, "What did I miss?"

"Just Percy and Cybele killing the giant!"

"Polybotes is not dead; he is just buried. He will rise again." Cybele explained as she shrank down to the size of normal woman. "Thank you, heroes. I owe you a debt for rescuing me. If you are ever on a mountain and need help, don't hesitate to ask."

"My Lady, why did Polybotes imprison you?" Reyna asked.

"He was attempting to replenish his powers with mine and gain control over the mountains of the world. In the first war, the giants attempted to reach Olympus by stacking mountain ranges on top of one another. I believe his intentions were to do the same thing again, but you have foiled his plan." Cybele smiled. "Well done, heroes."

A golden chariot pulled by two lions appeared beside Cybele, and she stepped into the chariot taking the reigns.

"I wish you success and safety on your journey." she smiled.

"Our journey…where?" Hazel asked.

"Percy knows your next destination, and the means of getting there is in his pocket." Cybele said. "I must be going. Good luck."

Cybele rode off in her chariot, restoring the burned cluster of trees to its previous condition as she rode past, then she disappeared.

Everyone looked at Percy.

"What was she talking about?" Hazel asked.

Percy pulled something out of his jeans pocket and held it out in his hand. It was the silver, tube-shaped dog whistle.

"That's the only thing I have in my pocket." he said with disappointment.

Reyna raised an eyebrow, "A whistle."

"Blow it, see what happens. Maybe it hails a magical taxi." Bobby said.

Percy looked over to Dakota. Dakota had no idea what the whistle meant or what it might do, but he figured it wasn't for calling his Rottweiler.

"Try it." Dakota nodded.

Percy put the whistle to his mouth and blew.


	16. Chapter 16

Percy XVI

The whistle made no audible sound. Percy pulled the whistle from his lips, looked at it, then looked around. Nothing was happening. The mountain was quiet and still. Percy wasn't expecting anything to happen; it was a dog whistle, but he was still disappointed.

"Sorry guys. I guess it didn't work," Percy sighed.

Bobby put his hand on Percy's shoulder, "It's okay, man. We'll figure something out."

"Shh…listen," Hazel said.

Everyone got quiet and began looking around. In the distance, down the slope there was a noise. Percy couldn't make out what the sound was, but it got louder and louder.

"_WOOF!"_

The hair on Lupa's back stood straight up.

"_WOOF!"_

Percy could see a black object coming toward them. Whatever it was, it was huge. It kept getting closer and closer. Everyone drew their weapons except Percy who stared at the enormous beast coming toward him.

"It's a hellhound!" Reyna yelled.

"_AROOF!"_ the hound barked then pounced on top of Percy.

Percy landed flat on his back with the hellhound standing over him giving him a jumbo tongue bath. Everyone was about to attack the beast when Percy busted out laughing.

"Okay, okay…yes, I see you. Good dog." Percy laughed as he pushed the hound off of him.

Everyone lowered their weapons.

"Friend of yours?" Dakota asked.

Percy wiped the drool from his face, "I'm not sure, but it seems to know me."

Dakota eased up to the hellhound and checked the tag hanging form its collar, "Mrs. O'Leary."

"_WOOF!"_

"No way." Percy gasped and walked up to get a better look at the beast. The hellhound looked almost identical to his dog: same eyes, same facial expressions, same disgusting dog breath. Add a few thousand pounds and this was her.

"This is your Rottweiler?" Hazel asked.

"Yeah," Percy said in disbelief. "But seriously, she wasn't this big a few days ago."

Mrs. O'Leary noticed Lupa and began sniffing her. Lupa's hair still stood on end, and she took a few steps back. Mrs. O'Leary's tail began to wag like crazy then she licked Lupa's face with her huge, slobbery tongue.

"Ack!" Lupa gagged then she yelled, "Percy Jackson, get control of your animal!"

Everyone bit their lip trying to hold in the laughter, but they couldn't. Everyone began cracking up. The last few days had been long and stressful, and the comic relief was a welcome break from the madness, although Lupa didn't look too thrilled about being the source of the hilarity. When the laughter died down, everyone petted and got to know Mrs. O'Leary.

"So, she's our ride to who knows where?" Bobby asked as he scratched behind her ear.

"I guess so." Percy shrugged his shoulders. "I mean, she is big enough to ride."

"The beast can take you anywhere you want to go in a matter of seconds." Lupa told them.

"How?" Reyna asked.

"It's an old underworld trick called shadow travel." Lupa explained. "Just tell her the destination, and she will take you there."

"Where exactly is our destination?" Hazel asked and everyone turned to Percy.

"Don't look at me. I have no idea where we're supposed to go." Percy said.

"Wait a second…Picus. Percy didn't he give you a number that was supposed to lead you to what you seek?" Dakota asked.

"Yeah, 3.141." Percy replied and as soon as he said the number an address flashed in his head: _Farm Road 3.141 Long Island, NY. _"I know where we have to go."

Percy hoped whatever was at that address would have the answers to what was really going on with him. The entire trip Percy tried to figure out why he could fight so well, why he had all those strange flashes in his head, and where he had gotten the shield and the sword. He knew his new friends had some theories, but they weren't sharing and Percy thought it best not to ask.

"Okay, let's get going then." Reyna said.

Everyone climbed onto Mrs. O'Leary's back except Lupa.

"Madam Lupa, aren't you coming?" Hazel asked.

"I am not riding on the back of that beast. I should be able to travel in its wake, though. I will meet you there"

"Is everyone ready?" Percy asked.

Everyone nodded and Bobby said, "Let's rock and roll."

Percy leaned forward and whispered the address into Mrs. O'Leary's ear.

"_AROOF!"_

Mrs. O'Leary sniffed the air and took off running toward the trees with Lupa right on her heels. When they reached the trees and hit the first shadow they all disappeared.

When they reappeared they were no longer in the Rocky Mountains. They were on an old farm road at the base of a hill seemingly in the middle of nowhere, but the place felt familiar to Percy. Mrs. O'Leary began to stagger and yawn, so everyone slid off her back. She turned a few circles, laid down, and passed out. Lupa looked rather exhausted herself, but didn't seem to need a nap just yet.

"Oh, wow, what a ride!" Bobby said excitedly.

"That was pretty cool." Dakota agreed.

"Where are we?" Reyna asked.

"Long Island," Percy answered.

"We traveled all the way to the east coast?" Hazel asked in disbelief.

Percy nodded.

"So, where to now?" Reyna asked.

Percy pointed toward a towering pine tree at the crest of the hill, "That way…I think."

They began walking up the hill toward the tree. Something in a low branch of the tree shimmered in the sunlight and steam bellowed from something under the tree.

"What is that I wonder?" Hazel said pointing toward the copper colored mass under the tree.

As they got closer they began to hear a huffing sound, like an angry exhale, and the steam under the tree seemed to get thicker. The object under the tree began to move. Its movements were serpentine like. As they got within about twenty feet of the tree it became clear what the object was. Everyone stopped in their tracks.

Hazel's eyes got wide, "Is that a dragon?"

There was a hissing sound and then a loud roar as the dragon rose to its full height. It spread its enormous wings, whipped its pointed tail, and breathed fire into the air.

"Yes, that's a dragon." Dakota confirmed.

Everyone drew their weapons and stood ready to attack. Percy could hear a conch horn sounding in the valley on the other side of the ridge. This wasn't good; it was a trap. The dragon roared again and then all time stopped. Nothing moved, everything and everyone was frozen except Percy. He looked around wondering what had just happened when all of the hairs on the back of his neck stood up. He turned around and there stood a woman. She was tall and elegant. She had brown hair with gold ribbons in her braids and her white dress was as bright as the snow on the Rockies. She seemed familiar to Percy, but he couldn't place where he knew her from.

"Percy Jackson, you never disappoint." She smiled.

"Do I know you?" Percy asked her.

"You do, demigod. To you I am Hera, queen of the Greek gods of Olympus."

"Greek?" Percy asked.

"That's right. Percy, you are not a Roman demigod, you never were. You are a Greek demigod…whose memories are still distorted, I see."

"What did you do to me?"

"I placed a veil of false memories in you head. They were able to mask who you really are. Don't fret though, now that you have accomplished your mission the veil will be lifted revealing your true identity." She explained.

"My mission?"

"To forge an alliance with the Romans, of course. I sent you to the Roman camp as an exchange of leaders. I needed you and Jason to ease the tensions and bridge the gap between the two camps."

"But why mess with my memory?"

"It was necessary to ensure your integration into the Roman camp. They are not as friendly as Greeks. They needed to be convinced that you were not a threat but an asset. It was also a way to ensure you would make it back here. I played on your fatal flaw."

Percy raised an eyebrow, "My fatal flaw?"

"Your personal loyalty, Percy. Once the Romans became your friends, I knew you would never betray them. I also knew you would stop at nothing to get back to your friends, your family, and your Annabeth, so I kept them in your memories. I am surprised at how quickly you made your way back, though, but that's no matter. You are here now and the union of two great powers can commence." She smiled.

Percy just stared at her trying to make sense of the things she was telling him.

"Soon, all will become clear." She told him. "Now turn around and face your destiny, hero."

Percy turned back around, facing the dragon, and time began again. The dragon was still roaring, his friends were still preparing to attack, and he still had no idea where he was or who he really was. He looked up at the dragon and its eyes met his. The dragon stopped roaring and began to relax. It folded its wings and tilted its coppery head looking at Percy with what seemed like confusion or maybe it was affection. The dragon lowered its head toward Percy.

"Percy…" Dakota whispered with concern.

"It's okay, I think." Percy said.

The dragon sniffed Percy then nudged his hand with its nose. Percy lifted his hand and scratched the dragon under its chin. The dragon hissed in delight.

"Another friend of yours, I reckon." Dakota said.

Just then the ground began to vibrate, and an all too familiar rumble made its way to the crest of the hill. Three chariots appeared each carrying two riders. They stopped on top of the hill, and the scene got eerily quiet. Everyone on both sides seemed to be astonished by what they were seeing. Percy recognized one face in the chariots, and he almost couldn't believe his eyes. It was Annabeth dressed in battle armor with a dagger in her hand. Percy wondered what she was doing here, but then again he didn't really care; he was just happy to see her. Everyone sheathed their weapons and the riders got out of their chariots. Annabeth ran toward Percy, but it was like she was running in slow motion. Percy began to get flashes in his head: Grover talking to a pink poodle, Tyson punching a bronze bull, himself and Thalia sliding down a snowy hill on a shield, kissing Annabeth inside a volcano, and Rachel speaking the next Great Prophecy. A flood of memories came back to Percy. It was like the force that had been holding them back had suddenly been lifted. Annabeth ran up to Percy and stopped just short of him. They stood face to face.

"Percy." Annabeth said.

Percy blinked a few times trying to recover from the flashback attack.

"Percy…Do you remember who I am?" Annabeth asked as a solitary tear rolled down her cheek.

Percy lifted his hand and wiped the tear from her cheek, "Annabeth, I could never forget you."

She smiled and threw her arms around his neck. He wrapped his arms around her back and held her like he never wanted to let her go. He had discovered how easily the truth could be erased, and he had to make sure this was real.

"I missed you, Wise Girl." He said still holding her tight.

She tilted her head to look him in the eye, "I missed you too, Seaweed Brain." She smiled then kissed him.


	17. Chapter 17

Reyna XVII

Reyna watched Jason get out of his chariot with that same girl she saw him with in her dream. All of the Romans stood at attention and saluted Jason by putting their right fist to their heart, and Jason did the same.

"Reyna!" Jason yelled like he just recognized who she was.

Jason ran to her and gave her a big hug as he picked her up and spun her around. Reyna laughed and smiled hugging his neck. She was so happy to see him and to know he was alright.

He set her down but still gripped her shoulders, "Gods, I can't believe you're really here."

"Well, that makes two of us." She smiled.

Jason looked to his left and saw Dakota.

"Kota," Jason offered him his right arm, Dakota clasped it and pulled him into a hug.

"It's good to see you, man." Dakota said to Jason.

"You too, bud."

Hazel and Bobby each got a hug from Jason, and when he saw Lupa, he knelt in front of her.

He bowed his head, "Madam Lupa."

"It is pleasing to see you well, my pup."

Jason stood up, "How did you guys find me? How did you get here?" he asked them.

Reyna pointed to Percy who was walking toward them with a girl by his side.

Percy walked up to Jason and offered him his right arm, "Percy Jackson, son of Poseidon."

Jason clasped Percy's arm, "Jason Grace, son of Jupiter."

Percy raised an eyebrow, "Grace? Like Thalia Grace?"

Jason smiled, "My sister."

"No kidding," Percy said.

Reyna remembered the Hunter that Percy recognized on Pikes Peak; Percy said her name was Thalia. Reyna never knew Jason had a sister, and she wondered if the Hunter and Jason's sister were one and the same.

"Percy," said a voice from someone approaching from the crest of the hill.

An unusually tall man appeared. He had a neatly trimmed beard and curly brown hair. He was wearing armor over his orange long sleeve tee shirt, and he had a bow and quiver strapped to his back. As he got closer Reyna realized why he was so tall; the lower half of his body was that of a white stallion. He was a centaur.

The centaur put his hand on Percy's shoulder, "Thank the gods. Are you alright?"

"I'm fine, Chiron." Percy assured him.

"Percy…" Reyna started, wondering why Percy didn't seem confused about who he was anymore.

"It was Hera," Percy told her. "She was the one who messed with my memory, making me believe I led a mortal life."

"Don't feel bad Percy," Jason said. "She wiped out my memory completely."

Everyone just stared at the both of them.

"But you guys remember now…right?" Bobby asked.

They both nodded.

"We will schedule a counselors meeting to discuss the events that have unfolded over the last few days, but right now I'd like to meet our guests." The centaur turned to the Romans, "I am Chiron, the activities director here at Camp Half-Blood."

Reyna introduced herself first, "Reyna Ballard, daughter of Apollo, and interim praetor of the First Legion."

"Dakota Mills, son of Mars, first lieutenant."

"Bobby Chandler, son of Victoria, centurion."

"Hazel Vaughn, daughter of Vesta, centurion."

Chiron clasped each of their arms in the Roman tradition as they introduced themselves, except for Hazel.

"Daughter of Vesta," Chiron leaned over, took Hazel's hand and kissed it. "It is a rare, great honor."

Hazel blushed.

"But Hestia is a maiden goddess," said the girl standing beside Percy. Reyna assumed she was Percy's girlfriend, Annabeth.

Hazel smiled, "Your Hestia may be a maiden, but Vesta is not quite so…conservative. Every few hundred years, my mother will come down to earth; she will marry a mortal man, have a child, and stay with her husband for the rest of his days. My mother has Vestal Virgins to attend to her duties on Olympus. Right now, she lives with my father at our home in Texas."

That was one thing Reyna always envied of Hazel, a real family. Hazel got to go home to Texas every summer and on holidays. Camp was more like a boarding school than a home to her.

Chiron walked over to Lupa, who apparently needed no introduction, and he knelt down on his front legs.

He bowed his head, "Madam Lupa."

Lupa bowed her head to Chiron, "Master Chiron, it's been a long time."

"Not since we swore our oath on the Styx." Chiron said as he stood up.

"And I see we have both violated that oath." Lupa said.

Reyna didn't know what oath they were talking about, but she figured it had something to do with how the Romans and Greeks stayed separated.

Reyna turned to Percy, "So, is this Annabeth?"

"It is," Percy smiled then introduced her. "Annabeth Chase, daughter of Athena."

Reyna shook her hand, "I bet your parents aren't too crazy about your relationship…the whole Poseidon, Athena rivalry thing."

"You know a lot about the Greek gods?" Annabeth asked her.

"Daughter of Apollo, I kind of have to." Reyna replied.

"Ah, that's right, same name, same aspect." Annabeth said.

Reyna knew this girl had some brains, and Reyna liked her immediately. They were introduced to the other demigods that had ridden up in the chariots. The girl from Reyna's dream, the one who rode up with Jason, introduced herself as Piper McLean, daughter of Aphrodite. Of course she'd be the daughter of the love goddess; that was just Reyna's luck. They met Leo Valdez, a son of Hephaestus, who immediately started hitting on Hazel, but she didn't seem to mind. It looked as though Hazel might actually like the guy. There was also Travis Stoll, a son of Hermes and Will Solace, a son of Apollo. Reyna didn't make a habit of hugging complete strangers, but she hugged her brother. After losing two brothers and a sister on Mount Tam, she was relieved to know she had family here.

"Well, since we have all made our acquaintance why don't we show our guests Camp Half-Blood." Chiron said.

They walked down the hill toward a powder blue, four story farmhouse.

"We call it the Big House," Percy told Reyna. "It's our version of headquarters."

Reyna looked around the valley. She saw strawberry fields, a small lake, and a large patch of woods. There were volleyball and basketball courts and several cabins that Reyna assumed were quarters.

They arrived at the Big House and Chiron said, "I will need volunteers to give each of our guests a tour of camp."

Leo quickly offered to be Hazel's guide. Percy and Annabeth would be Dakota's tour guides, and Piper volunteered to be Bobby's guide. Piper and Reyna exchanged looks as she and Bobby left the Big House. Piper's eyes were intense and territorial, like they were silently advising Reyna to take caution. Reyna knew she and Piper were not going to get along.

"Well, it looks like it's me and you." Jason said to Reyna. "Come on, I'll show you around."

Reyna was delighted that Jason was her guide. She had really missed him and had been worried about him since his disappearance. She wanted to use this time together to catch up and maybe tell him how she felt about him.

"So, I take it you had a wild adventure without me." Jason said as he led Reyna through the strawberry fields.

Reyna smiled, "I don't think the word _wild_ quite covers it."

"And you and Kota managed to survive without me there to save you. That's amazing." Jason laughed.

Reyna pushed his shoulder and shook her head, "Heroes."

"Speaking of which," Jason said in a more serious tone. "How's Kota?"

Jason and Dakota were best friends and Jason had been concerned about him since Tam. Dakota's unusual behavior and mood swings, symptoms of his PTSD, were taking their toll on their friendship, but Jason wasn't ready to give up on him. Reyna didn't know if Dakota would recover, but there was never any doubt in Jason's mind that he would.

"He did really good on this trip." Reyna told him. "I think when he has something to concentrate on, something to distract him from those bad memories, he does a lot better."

"That's good to hear, and what about you?"

"What about me?" Reyna asked.

"Is everything alright? You seem distracted."

Reyna stared across the canoe lake. "Maybe it's just this place." She said, not quite ready to tell him what was really on her mind.

"Yeah, I know what you mean," he said. "It gives you that feeling like you know you're somewhere you're not supposed to be."

"Romans and Greeks…historically that's a volatile combination." She said.

"Maybe this generation can move past the discrimination and work together as a team. I assume you already know why you're here."

She nodded, "The Great Prophecy, the Gigantomachy."

"That's right, and it's progressing a lot faster than I expected. Your arrival here the day after I get back from my quest tells me we don't have as much time as we thought. Ugh…it's giving me a headache or maybe it was that smackdown of memories I got back earlier." Jason said rubbing his eyes.

"Yeah, you said something about Hera wiping out your memory." Reyna remembered.

"In my case it was Juno, but yeah. I didn't remember much until I was standing on the hill looking at you guys, and then it all came back…all at once. I figure the same thing happened to Percy."

Reyna nodded.

"I'm sure everything will be discussed at the counselors meeting so let's not worry about it now." Jason said then grabbed her arm, "Come on, I want to show you something."

Jason led Reyna to the archery range and her eyes lit up. There were targets everywhere; stationary targets, moving targets, even magical pop-up targets, it was an archers dream.

"What do you think?" he asked.

"I think it's amazing." She smiled.

"Okay, okay, stop drooling. We'd better finish the tour. There's still a lot more to see."

Jason led her past the stables and the javelin arena. He showed her the amphitheater and the sword fighting arena.

They walked into a column framed outdoor pavilion and Jason said, "The most important place at camp."

Reyna tilted her head, "Let me guess…the dining area?"

Jason just smiled, then he said, in his best tour guide voice, "Our next stop on the tour is the cabins. Follow me, please."

Reyna followed Jason to a group of cabins tucked in the edge of the woods. There were about twenty cabins, one cabin representing each god, arranged in a U-shape with two wings of cabins that went to the left and right of the open end. The cabins faced a commons area that was beautifully landscaped and had a smoldering hearth in the center. A young girl tending the flames caught Reyna's eye. Reyna bowed her head to the girl from across the courtyard and the girl smiled. Jason led Reyna to the Apollo cabin. The golden cabin shimmered in the light of the lowering sun.

"All of the children of Apollo bunk here?" Reyna asked Jason.

"Yep," Jason nodded.

Reyna wasn't used to having roommates. She had her own quarters back home.

"Do you want to go in?" Jason asked her.

Reyna stared at the cabin then turned to Jason, "Let's finish the tour first."

Jason showed her the rest of the cabins including his. It was identical to the marble house she'd seen in her dream. She thought about telling Jason about her dream, but decided not to. Jason led her to the sound and they stood on a dune looking out toward the water. The breeze was crisp, but not as cold as it should've been for this time of year. Reyna stared across the sound trying to work up the courage to ask Jason about Piper.

"So, your friends here, they seem nice." She said finally.

"Most everyone here is. As you can probably tell, this place is a little more laid back than home." He said.

"I've noticed, and it's rubbed off on you."

"Yeah, I suppose it has." Jason nodded.

They heard two people talking and laughing and turned to see Hazel and Leo walking down the dune toward them. They were each holding something in their hand. Whatever they were holding was glowing and flickering red and orange. As they got closer Reyna realized they each had a ball of fire in their palm.

"Hey guys," Hazel said as they reached Reyna and Jason.

"Well it seems you two have found something in common." Reyna said looking at the flames in their palms.

Jason shook his head, "Pyros."

"You know it." Leo said.

"Where are you guys headed?' Reyna asked.

"Dining pavilion, it's almost time for dinner." Leo answered.

Reyna was pretty hungry. She hadn't eaten all day.

"We'll go with you." Jason said, and they all four headed to the pavilion.

When they arrived at the dining pavilion the sun had almost set completely. Torches lit up the pavilion and a central fire burned in a large brazier. Dinner was just being served, and Reyna recognized and respected the orderly fashion in which the Greeks dined. Each cabin had a table, and if you bunked in that cabin, you ate at that table; it was simple and efficient. There were about sixty or seventy campers and about a dozen nymphs, naiads, and fauns. Reyna sat down beside Will, whom she had met earlier.

"How was your tour?" Will asked her.

"Good. This is a very nice camp."

There was a banging sound from the head table. Reyna saw Chiron raise his glass.

"To the gods, and to our guests." He toasted.

Everyone joined the toast. Nymphs brought food to each table and everyone filled their plates. Each camper dropped a burnt offering into the central fire, which was a Roman tradition as well. Reyna sat back down at the table and began working on her burger and fries.

"We got a bunk ready for you and got you a change of clothes and some toiletries." Will told her.

"Thank you. You didn't have to do that."

"It was no problem. So, Reyna, how many children of Apollo are at your camp?" Will asked.

Reyna instantly lost her appetite.

"There were four, now it's just me." She said sadly.

"Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to…" Will paused, then added, "We lost a lot of siblings this summer…too many."

At that moment, Reyna realized the two camps had more things in common than contrast. They fight the same battles just on different fronts and lose soldiers just the same. They both work hard and fight hard for the same cause and their loyalty and devotion to that cause is steadfast. Maybe Jason was right; maybe they could work together.

There was another banging sound from the head table and the pavilion got quite.

"Can I have everyone's attention?" Chiron said loudly. "At the campfire tonight we will be holding a camp-wide meeting to discuss recent events and what they mean for the future. Everyone is urged to attend."


	18. Chapter 18

Dakota XVIII

Dakota sat in the front row of the amphitheatre with all of the Romans, Percy, Annabeth, and a few others. The other rows were occupied by the rest of the campers, about seventy demigods total. The air buzzed with the sound of everyone speaking at once. The campfire in the center of the theatre floor burned intensely in a wide assortment of colors. In the darkness just outside the amphitheatre, Dakota saw the image of a boy dressed in black. He looked almost like a shadow until the firelight revealed his pale skin. A horn sounded and everyone stopped talking. Lupa and Chiron stood near the fire as they would be leading this meeting.

"As everyone knows, Percy has returned to camp, and he has brought some guests." Chiron announced.

"Romans," someone near the back said.

Chiron continued, "Yes, our Roman friends have come a long way…"

"Friends, yeah right," another voice in the back said.

"I will start off by making everyone aware that the Romans were pivotal in the Titan War. While we were battling the titan Kronos, they were battling the titan Krios on Mount Othrys." Chiron explained.

"Yeah, they got the easy battle." Another voice said.

Dakota turned toward the direction of the voice, "Hey, we lost half our legion in that battle."

"And you don't think we lost just as many fighting Kronos?" someone asked.

"Come on guys, the titan war is over." Annabeth said.

"Yeah, because of Percy." Someone else said.

"And Jason. He killed Krios." Reyna said.

"Your boy Jason, take a dip in the Styx, too?" someone asked.

"Okay, okay, let's settle down." Chiron said. "Reyna, why don't you tell us about what happened on your journey here."

"Our camp was attacked and Madam Lupa was kidnapped by the wolf king, Lycaon." Reyna began.

"Lycaon?" Jason asked Reyna.

"Yeah," Reyna answered. "He wanted to use Lupa to find something…what was it, Percy?"

"The unlikely trio." Percy said.

"Oh, gods." Piper gasped.

"What?" Percy asked her.

Piper didn't answer.

Reyna continued, "We were able to track down Lycaon at Pikes Peak."

"Did I hear someone say Lycaon and Pikes Peak? Man, we almost had him." said a girl walking into the amphitheatre with another girl at her side.

When the girls came into the firelight Dakota could see they were wearing gray and white camouflage, and he recognized them as Hunters. The one who spoke was the one Percy recognized at Pikes Peak, Thalia.

"You!" Reyna stood up and pointed at the other Hunter.

"You!" the Hunter gasped.

"Um…I take it you two know each other." Percy said.

"Unfortunately," the Hunter said.

"Still playing second fiddle, I see." Reyna said sarcastically to the Hunter.

"Wait, how do you know each other, and who are you?" Thalia asked Reyna.

"Reyna, daughter of Apollo, and complete fool." The Hunter smited.

Dakota stood up, "Watch your mouth!"

"Whoa, time out. Phoebe?" Thalia turned to the Hunter.

"I tried to recruit Reyna to join the Hunters two years ago." Phoebe said.

"And I declined, but you wouldn't get off my back about it." Reyna said.

"It's what your father wanted." Phoebe said to Reyna.

"Like I care what my father wants."

"You were just too hung up on that boy." Phoebe said.

"Wait, you said two years ago…where was I?" Thalia asked Phoebe.

"Actually, the position offered to Reyna is the position you now hold. It was offered to Reyna first." Phoebe told Thalia .

"Excuse me?" Thalia asked putting her hands on her hips.

Bobby giggled, "Looks like they're two for two on second fiddle."

Jason stood and turned to Bobby, "Watch it Bobby, that's my sister."

"The chick we saw on Pikes Peak is your sister?" Bobby asked.

"Wait, you saw me on Pikes Peak?" Thalia asked Bobby.

"We saw you and a few more Hunters." Percy said to Thalia.

"When?" Thalia asked Percy.

"Two days ago." Dakota said.

"And who are you?" Thalia asked.

"Dakota."

"You're Roman." Thalia said bitterly.

"You got a problem with that?" Dakota asked.

"Hold on, so Kota you guys were on Pikes Peak two days ago and saw the Hunters?" Jason asked.

"Yeah" Dakota answered.

"Leo, Piper, and I were on Pikes Peak two days ago. The Hunters saved us from Lycaon." Jason explained.

"Are you saying we were all on that mountain at the same time and just missed each other?" Hazel asked.

"Wait, the unlikely trio that Lycaon was looking for, that was you guys." Percy said to Jason.

"So the Hunters and the Romans were both after Lycaon." Annabeth said.

"You Hunters choked on that hunt." Bobby said to Thalia.

Thalia gave Bobby the evil eye, "Pardon me?"

"We killed Lycaon, Thalia." Percy said.

"Oh, yeah, was that before or after the Romans broke the nose of one of my Hunters? She told me someone attacked her, but she didn't know who. Which one of you was it?" Thalia demanded.

"I did that." Dakota admitted.

"But it was my fault." Reyna said quickly.

Thalia shook her head, "That's all you Romans know how to do, swing a fist."

Percy stood up, "Easy, Thalia. Your brother is Roman."

"It's okay, Percy. It sounds like she's already picked her side." Jason said with disappointment.

"Guys, there are no sides. We're all in this together now." Annabeth reasoned.

"Stay out of it, Annabeth." Jason snapped.

"Hey, don't talk to her like that." Percy snapped back.

Jason shoved Percy's shoulder, "What are you going to do about it, hero?"

Percy balled his fist and punched Jason in the face; that's when it started. Everyone jumped up and rushed them like two baseball teams clearing the dugouts to rush a fight on the pitchers mound. Fists were flying, everyone was screaming and shouting, it was complete chaos. And it's not like it was Romans against Greeks, it was a free for all. Reyna was pounding on Phoebe, Annabeth was dodging swings from a Greek camper, and Jason and Percy were fighting each other. Dakota saw a fist coming toward his face. He ducked and swung his fist catching Thalia in the gut. She came around with a backhand that sent Dakota flying across the theatre. Dakota landed at the feet of the boy dressed in black. The kid was cracking up.

"What are you laughing at, punk?" Dakota said as he got to his feet.

The kid stopped laughing and his eyes got wide, "Oh, sh-" he gasped as Dakota put him in a headlock and drug him into the fight.

Dakota heard Bobby yell, "You want a piece of me?"

Dakota saw Bobby take a swing at a big girl he met at dinner named Clarisse. Clarisse grabbed Bobby's fist and twisted his arm behind his back.

Dakota ducked a swing from Piper and pushed her into Reyna…mistake. Reyna grabbed Piper by the hair, and Jason grabbed Reyna's arm to get her to let go. Reyna, without looking to see who grabbed her, threw a punch and caught Jason in the nose.

The kid in black was swinging his fists, not even looking at who he was swinging at. One swing caught Percy in the chin.

"Jeez, Nico!" Percy yelled.

"Ooo, sorry," Nico said then Leo's elbow came back in a swing toward another camper and smacked Nico in the eye, knocking him to the ground.

Dakota could hear Chiron yelling, "Everyone stop, this is madness!"

A kid went flying through the air and hit Chiron on his way down. Chiron stumbled, then he and Lupa were pulled into the fight.

Dakota could feel the heat from the campfire as he punched, kicked, and ducked. The fire reached almost twenty feet into the air and burned white hot.

The fight raged on, but it was more like a brawl than anything. No one had drawn a weapon or used any of their powers in any way. It was all hand to hand. Hand to hand combat is personal, but it also means you don't intend to kill your opponent. Everyone had bloody noses or busted lips or swollen eyes that would be black tomorrow.

Dakota was trying to fight his way over to Jason and Percy who were now standing back to back taking on opponents on either side. The two guys who started the fight were now working together.

Dakota had almost made it over to them when there was a loud _KABOOM!_

The sound was almost deafening. Everyone stopped fighting and covered their ears. Burning embers began raining from the sky; the campfire had exploded. Emotions had gotten so intense that the fire just couldn't burn any hotter, and it blew. Everyone stood silently looking up at the falling remains of the campfire in awe of the sight.

Chiron cleared his throat, "Campers, I want everyone except head counselors and the Romans to go to their cabins or the infirmary…RIGHT NOW!"

They did as they were ordered. That left about fifteen Greeks, five Romans, and one Hunter standing in the theatre with Chiron and Lupa.

"Sit down." Chiron ordered and everyone obliged.

With the campfire no longer burning, the ampitheatre was considerably dark. The only source of light was a few torches that circled the theatre. Everyone sat quietly as Chiron, with his arms crossed, paced back and forth; his hooves clip clopped on the stone theatre floor with each step. Chiron's hair was a mess, his shirt was ripped up, and the white hair on his horse body was stained with blood. The demigods didn't look any better. They all had ripped clothes and dried blood on their faces and in their hair.

After a couple minutes of pacing, Chiron stopped, turned to the demigods, and yelled, "Did you get it out of your system?"

From what Dakota had observed of Chiron, he seemed like a pretty soft spoken guy, but right now that horse was fired up.

When no one answered, Chiron raised his voice again, "Well, did you? I need to know if something like this is going to happen again."

Percy started to say something, but Chiron cut him off, "Don't speak."

Chiron turned to Lupa and said, "This is a disaster."

Lupa, who looked a little rough herself, tilted her head looking at the disheveled demigods, "Well, at least they didn't kill each other this time."

"We weren't trying to kill each other," Dakota said. "It was a brawl."

Chiron shook his head, "This is not a bar, young man. You all should be ashamed."

The amphitheatre was quiet for a second, then someone started to chuckle. One of the girls started giggling, and Leo busted out laughing. The laughter was contagious, and soon the whole group was roaring with laughter.

"Ooo, don't make me laugh," Bobby snickered as he touched his busted lip. "It hurts. Don't make me laugh."

"Gods, can you believe that just happened?" a camper laughed.

"That was awesome! Hands down, the best meeting I've ever attended." Clarisse said with excitement and laughter.

"Hey, did anyone else see Nico punch Percy?" Annabeth laughed.

"Oh, or see Kota get smacked across the theatre by Thalia?" Jason snickered.

Dakota shook his head, "Hey man, your sister hits harder than you."

"Jason, I think you got a knock from a girl, too." Percy laughed.

Reyna grinned, "My bad."

The whole group was laughing hysterically as they recalled the fight. Even Chiron cracked a smile.

After a few minutes, the laughter began to die down and Chiron said, "Okay, let's settle down. We still have some things to discuss."

Everyone got quiet and focused their attention on Chiron.

"The giant war is upon us, and I fear we don't have as much time as we had hoped." Chiron said.

"We don't," Nico confirmed. "The word in the underworld is it's all going down this summer, and something important is going to happen on June first. I don't know what it is, but I'm telling you that boat better be ready to fly by then."

Reyna turned to Nico, "How do you know what the talk is in the underworld?"

"I spend a lot of time down there." Nico answered.

"Son of Hades," Percy said to Reyna.

"Oh," Reyna said.

"Anyway," Nico continued. "The dead are restless; some are even escaping in the chaos, and I think the giants have something to do with it."

"We ran into Medea and Midas. They were both back from the dead." Piper said.

"And we saw Commodus." Hazel said.

Chiron shook his head, "This is troubling."

"You think that's troubling?" Leo said. "There's no way we can get the Argo II built by June first. We don't have the manpower or the resources. Chiron, I thought you said we had until the summer solstice, June twenty first?"

"You need to be in Greece by the solstice." Nico said.

"Wait, what is the Argo II and why are we going to Greece?" Percy asked.

Leo told the Romans and Percy about the plans for the flying ship, and Jason told them about the giant's plans to destroy Olympus from its roots.

"The giant Polybotes said something like that, something about striking Olympus at its core." Reyna said.

"So we build a ship, fly to Greece, and take on the giants. Okay, who's going?" Percy asked.

"That is yet to be determined." Chiron answered. "The prophecy states seven half bloods will answer the call, and it is my belief the seven will be both Greek and Roman."

"Guys, it's not going to matter unless we find a way to get the ship built in six months." Leo said with desperation.

Dakota turned to Leo, "Tell me what you need to get it done."

Leo looked at Dakota, "Fabricators, welders, and anyone who can forge a weapon or read a blueprint. I'll need steel, iron, celestial bronze, and some type of renewable fuel source. I haven't got that part figured out yet."

"Leave the fuel to me, I'll handle that project." Dakota said then turned to Lupa. "Do you think we can get them to come out here to help?"

"They trust the judgment of their leaders. They will help." Lupa replied.

"Who?" Piper asked.

"The Roman camp." Percy said.

Everyone was quiet for a few seconds, then Leo said, "Alright then, lets get them out here."

"I will go back and explain what is happening to my soldiers." Lupa said.

"I'll go with you." Bobby said to Lupa. "I'll convince them it's the right thing to do."

Dakota already knew Bobby wouldn't be staying at Camp Half-Blood. Bobby was a home body, and he missed his best friend, his sister Gwen.

Reyna nodded to Bobby, "You know who we need and what we need. I'm trusting you to get them out here."

"I understand." Bobby said.

"And Bobby," Jason added. "That will make you senior officer at camp. You will be in charge."

That was a bit of a scary thought to Dakota, but Bobby proved to be a valuable asset on the mission, and he knew Bobby could handle it.

"We will leave in the morning." Lupa said to Bobby.

"Does everyone agree to this course of action?" Chiron asked.

Everyone nodded in agreement.

"Very well," Chiron said. "Explain to your cabin mates what will be happening in the coming days and make them understand this is an alliance not a competition. I do not want what occurred here tonight to happen again."

Everyone nodded.

"It's been a long day." Chiron said. "Lights out early tonight. Dismissed."

Everyone walked to their respective cabins. Dakota and Clarisse walked into the Ares cabin and every camper was asleep. Clarisse didn't say anything, but she pointed to a bed in the corner with Dakota's pack sitting on it. Dakota nodded a silent thank you. Dakota sat his pack on the floor beside his bed, and he pulled a photograph from the inside pocket of his jacket. It was the photo of him, Reyna, and Jason at the beach. He tacked the photo to the cork board hanging on the wall beside his bed. He took his jacket off and lied down. He stared at the ceiling thinking about an energy source for the Argo II. Dakota may have been a son of Mars, but he was also a very good chemist. He hadn't told anyone, but he had accepted a scholarship to UC Berkley's department of chemical and boimolecular engineering to study and develop alternative fuel sources. He would be starting next fall. This would be his last mission as a Roman demigod.


	19. Chapter 19

Percy XIX

Final Chapter

Percy lay in his bed staring at the clock which read 12:04. He'd been laying there for hours unable to fall asleep. He was exhausted, but he just couldn't shut his mind off. He thought about the journey to camp and how he had really gotten to know Reyna, Dakota, Hazel, and Bobby. He wondered who would be taking the trip to Greece and how things would play out with the giants. He recalled what Hera had said about the alliance between the two camps and how he and Jason were used to bridge the gap.

Percy finally decided he wasn't going to fall asleep with his mind racing like it was, so he got out of bed, grabbed his blanket, and walked outside. He stood on the newly built front porch of his cabin. Tyson had gotten excited when the new construction was going on at camp, and when Tyson came to camp for a few days in the fall he added a sweet front porch to their cabin. This was the first time Percy had actually seen it, and he was impressed. It was built from weathered wood that fit right in with the ocean theme, and it was complete with a ceiling fan, porch swing, and small bronze fire pit.

Percy wrapped the blanket around him tightly and sat down on the swing. He breathed in the cool December air and tried to clear his mind. He looked up at the sky; the moon was full and bright, but he could still make out a few constellations. There was one in particular he was looking for and then he saw it, the girl running across the sky with her bow. The Huntress, Zoë Nightshade. The bickering between Reyna, Phoebe, and Thalia earlier made Percy think of Zoë. He remembered her story about Hercules betraying her and breaking her heart. Percy swore an oath to himself that he would never do anything like that to Annabeth.

Percy was looking across the courtyard when he caught a glimpse of something moving out of the corner of his eye. He looked toward the movement and noticed it was a silhouette, a shadow on the courtyard grass making its way toward him. The shadow, which was being cast by seemingly nothing, was almost to his front porch.

"Hey, Annabeth," Percy said.

She shimmered into existence, and the moonlight did a little dance in her stormy gray eyes. Percy's heart fluttered in his chest. She held her Yankees cap in her hand and stepped onto the porch.

"My shadow give me away?" she asked.

Percy nodded and motioned her to come sit beside him. He adjusted his blanket so she could wrap up in it, too. She sat next to him, and he wrapped the blanket and his arm around her.

"You couldn't sleep either?" Percy guessed.

"No, I've got too much on my mind."

"I know what you mean," Percy empathized.

"I'm glad you're home, Percy."

"Me too."

"Speaking of home, did you call your mom?" she asked.

"Yeah, I sent her an Iris message," he answered.

"I bet she was relieved to hear from you."

"To say the least," Percy nodded. "But she was disappointed that I wouldn't be home for Christmas."

"That's right. Christmas is just a few days away. The solstice is tomorrow," Annabeth remembered. "Why don't you go home?"

"No, I can't leave camp with everything that's going on."

"Just go for the day," she suggested.

Percy thought about it and asked, "Will you come with me?"

A smile lit Annabeth's face. "Yeah, I'll come with you."

It was quite between them for a moment. Percy tucked a stray strand of Annabeth's hair behind her ear revealing her swollen eye.

"That eye is going to be black tomorrow," he chuckled.

"I know. The crazy thing is I don't even know who hit me," she laughed.

Percy shook his head. "There is no telling."

"And look at you, not a scratch. I guess you still have the curse of Achilles."

"Seems so, and it's a good thing, too because I would've died twice on the trip."

"What happened?" she asked.

"I fell fifty feet off a cliff and had golden ichor spill all over me when I was fighting Polybotes."

"You know, it's a wonder you ever survived without it," Annabeth joked.

Percy laughed, but it was the truth. He'd had many close calls over the years.

"Anything else exciting happen?" she asked.

"Well, I fought a Roman emperor in a gladiator arena in Vegas, we were in a car chase with a storm spirit who wrecked us…oh, and I learned how to snowboard."

Annabeth smiled, "It sounds like you had fun."

"To be honest with you, I was terrified. It was like being on my first quest. I felt like I was just a regular guy who got thrown into this insane world of gods and monsters. It was a little overwhelming."

Annabeth frowned. "Hera should've just come to us and explained the situation. We could've forged the alliance without all the smoke and mirrors."

"You know the gods. They don't like to make anything easy. Speaking of the gods, have you talked to your mom at all?" Percy asked.

"No, not since the gods went silent."

"Yeah, my dad hasn't contacted me either."

"The Council of the Gods is tomorrow, so maybe we'll hear something after that." Annabeth said, though she didn't sound very optimistic.

Percy shrugged. "Maybe"

"Are you worried?" she asked.

"About the gods? No, but I am worried about everything that's about to happen: the Romans coming to Camp Half-Blood, building the Argo II, the giant war in Greece. Annabeth, how are we supposed to prepare for battle when we don't even know who is going?"

"Well, I hate to speculate, but I would imagine you and Jason will definitely be going and probably Leo, too since the Argo II is his destiny."

"If you're right, that leaves four more," he said.

"I don't know who the rest will be. The best strategy would be to prepare everyone."

"I'm not even sure what we'll be up against," Percy admitted.

"I've been doing some research into the first giant war, and apparently the gods and demigods battled the giants at a place called Phlegra in Greece."

"Phlegra?"

"It means the burning lands. It was the place where the giants were born. The Fates guided the gods and demigods in their battle against the giants. When the giants were defeated, the Fates cast them into Tartarus," she explained.

"Do you think the Fates will guide us, too?" he asked.

"We can only hope."

"Ugh, I feel as clueless now as I have for the past few days."

"So, Hera put a false life in your memories?" she asked.

"Yeah, I thought I was a normal, mortal guy with a normal, mortal life."

"Normal…that sounds nice," she smiled. "Do you still remember any of it?"

"Yeah, some of it, but it's fading."

"Was I in that life?" she asked.

He smiled and tightened his arm around her. "You were."

"Tell me," she said as she rested her head on his shoulder.

"You and I met four years ago at a museum. I literally ran into you and knocked your notebook and pencil out of your hands. You called me something sweet like idiot or jerk. I sat down beside you on the museum steps while you were eating lunch and tried to get your number, but I had to settle for your email address. We became really good friends over the years, and last year we decided we wanted to be more than just friends."

"So, we were together for a year?" she asked.

Percy nodded.

"What did we do together?"

"We would go to the movies, the zoo, and museums. You loved to go to the top of the Empire State Building to look across the skyline. And now that I think about it, that has to be Hera's version of a sick joke."

Annabeth laughed.

"I take it our first kiss wasn't in a volcano," she guessed.

"Close…Times Square. It was New Year's at the stroke of midnight."

She looked at Percy. "Was it anything like the real one?"

He gave his girlfriend a sly smile. "Not even close." Then he kissed her.

Percy was grateful and proud that Annabeth was his girl. He didn't know how he got so lucky or why it took so long for them to become a couple, but one thing he was sure of—he wouldn't trade her for anything.

Annabeth rested her head back on Percy's shoulder and said, "Promise you won't disappear on me again."

"You know I can't make that promise."

"I know," she sighed.

They had been through so much together over the years, and Percy knew how she must have felt when he was missing. He had gone through the same thing with her exactly two years ago. Percy once thought he and Annabeth would have plenty of time together, but now, with this war upon them, he wasn't so sure anymore. If he was called to go on this quest, he didn't know whether he would want Annabeth to be called, too. Of course he wanted her with him, but he also wanted her safe, and he couldn't guarantee her safety if she went.

Percy looked at Annabeth; she had fallen asleep. He thought about carrying her back to her cabin, but she looked so peaceful. He didn't want to risk waking her or maybe he just didn't want to let the moment go.

He kissed her forehead and whispered, "Sweet dreams."

**AN: Thanks for taking the time to read and review The First Legion Series Book 1: The First Legion. TFLS Book 2: The Argonauts and TFLS Book 3: The Gigantomachy are published and complete, as is Heroes and Legacies—the six-book sequel to The First Legion Series. –dmac**

**Disclaimer: I do not own PJO.**


End file.
